Corporate governance

Peoples Financial Services has agreed to pay $129 million of stock for FNCB Bancorp. Peoples' CEO Craig Best would lead the combined company for a year after the merger closes, and then Gerard Champi, FNCB's current chief, would take over.

Thomas Nides, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and longtime Morgan Stanley executive, will take over the megabank's public affairs division as its work to fix regulatory concerns continues. He succeeds Bill Daley, the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, who recently announced his retirement from Wells.

Cboe Global Markets says Edward Tilly has resigned following an investigation that determined he didn't disclose personal relationships with colleagues. The derivatives and securities exchange has appointed Fredric Tomczyk, a current member of Cboe's board of directors, to replace Tilly. 

As part of the changes, the Spanish bank is combining individual countries' retail and commercial banking businesses under a new global unit, which will be headed by Daniel Barriuso, and creating a new digital consumer bank area that will be led by Jose Luis de Mora.

Instead, the Canadian bank will try to ramp up its current strategy, which includes growth in commercial lending and technology upgrades, as well as streamline management. 

Revenue challenges are driving the Utah bank's plan to reduce expenses, according to CEO Harris Simmons. "I talk to our peers, and everybody's looking for ways to cut costs," he said.

Fraser has a plan to reduce the number of management layers at Citi, shrink its workforce, speed up decision-making and give herself more control of the bank's five core businesses. "It's going to make some of our people very uncomfortable," she said.

At least four of CEO Jane Fraser's senior deputies got new roles in the shakeup, which will result in a number of job cuts.

After taking incremental steps to bolster its wealth management business, the Rhode Island bank is preparing to roll out a broader strategy focused on high-net-worth clients.

The North Carolina bank, which has been facing pressure to curb spending, rolled out a plan that includes job cuts, the consolidation of businesses and lower technology spending. Analysts wonder whether it will soothe investor frustration over Truist's sagging stock price.

The CU Relief Fund for Ukraine, which launched in late 2022, now takes public donations and is working to recruit more institutions to its cause.

Merrimack Valley Credit Union is launching a disaster relief loan, William Daley will retire from Wells Fargo, New York Community Bancorp promotes Signorille-Browne to COO and more in the weekly banking news roundup.

Some analysts and investors want the North Carolina bank to make big changes to meet financial targets, which they say aren't being met more than four years after the BB&T-SunTrust merger. The critics will be closely watching a presentation by top Truist executives on Monday.

Chief Executive Rob Holmes, who launched an attempted turnaround shortly after taking the reins of the Dallas-based bank in 2021, is resisting the lure of share buybacks. Some investors may be growing impatient, but Holmes says the investments he's made are starting to pay off.

Financial institutions in several Southeastern states had braced for impact of the Category 3 hurricane. Bank and credit union executives in Florida and Georgia say their facilities generally weathered the storm but that some communities they serve face substantial recovery efforts.

The Canadian bank initially told investors the acquisition would result in more than $350 million in cost savings. But a recent analysis suggests that number could be even higher.

Consistent wins aren't typically about continuously introducing novel strategies, but about better and more consistent execution with proven ones.

The country's Big Six banks are seen as likely to continue struggling as they contend with deteriorating consumer finances and rising internal costs.

The brokerage plans to cut staff and close or downsize offices in response to investor pressure.

The New York megabank is considering splitting its institutional clients group division into three parts following the upcoming departure of top executive Paco Ybarra, the Financial Times reported. The heads of the three segments would report directly to CEO Jane Fraser.