Daily Edition

A detailed look at bank merger-and-acquisition activity between January and June reveals a significant slowdown in announcements and a decline in deal value and pricing. The deceleration coincided with the start of U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

The volume of bankruptcy filings has been climbing, particularly among small businesses. But analysts note that the numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels.

America's fertility rate is at an all-time low, and the cost of treatment is climbing. Financial advisors discussed how to plan, both financially and emotionally, for the cost of becoming parents.

In pitting AI agents against historic 60-40 portfolio results, JPMorgan found AI won every time. But researchers could not rule out the possibility that the systems could have essentially cheated.

The Honolulu-based company said it plans to acquire TriCo Bancshares in Chico, California, and retain all of the seller's 68 branches.

The card network may sell a London-based processing subsidiary, reportedly amid government pressure on U.S. payments domination in local markets.

A group of 24 state-focused advocacy groups are banding together to form a national coalition to fight against industry lobbies as a federal EWA law threatens states' regulatory independence. Opponents of EWA say it resembles payday lending.

The HR software is used by scores of U.S. banks, including many of the largest ones. The case also raises broader questions about job candidate screening and who is liable when an AI tool causes disparate impact.

A November ballot measure will ask voters whether to establish the nation's first municipal public bank. The harder question of how to capitalize such a bank is being left for later.

The Federal Reserve governor said the central bank should consider near-term rate hikes if core-measures of inflation continue to climb.

Joint guidance says borrowers unauthorized to work in the U.S. may present elevated credit risk and urges banks to account for immigration-related repayment uncertainty in underwriting. 

In the U.S., bankers are used to prescriptive rulemaking, and without it they seem uncertain about how to move forward with AI. Europe tried writing prescriptive AI rules, and they were a disaster. Now nobody knows how to move forward.

Kentland Federal became the third bank this year to fail; meanwhile, American Banker today publishes its list of the best-performing small banks.

Bipartisan pushback is targeting data centers with calls to eliminate tax breaks and ensure their energy consumption costs do not get passed on to residents.

In American Banker's ranking of banks with the strongest metrics, here is this year's list, based on 2025 data from Capital Performance Group.