People's United Financial in Bridgeport, Conn., rode the sale of its payroll services business to a higher profit in the fourth quarter.

At least five regional banks on Thursday discarded concerns about the global economy, stocks, interest rates and credit quality, forecasting loan growth for the rest of this year.

Fourth-quarter earnings reports probably couldn't have been scheduled for a worse time. Banks reported results (and sometimes good ones) right as the markets and the price of oil tanked. The cold reception from investors and analysts is a reminder of how sometimes the analysis of a banks' numbers has little to do with the past quarter, and more to do what's going on right now.

KeyCorp believes it can surpass cost-cutting projections tied to its purchase of First Niagara Financial, while BB&T believes market duress could present it with more acquisition opportunities.

Aquesta Financial Services in Cornelius, N.C., has acquired an insurance portfolio from James E. Moore Agency in Wilmington, N.C.

BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., plans to shut down an auto leasing business it inherited after buying Susquehanna Bancshares in Lititz, Pa.

ASB Bancorp in Asheville, N.C., has agreed to appoint to its board the activist investor Lawrence Seidman and another representative picked by Seidman.

KeyCorp reported lower quarterly results that reflected higher expenses and lower fee income.

Fiserv in Brookfield, Wis., has agreed to buy the community financial services business of ACI Worldwide for $200 million in cash.

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati on Thursday reported a big spike in profits, after selling shares in the payment processor Vantiv.

BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., posted lower quarterly results that largely reflected lower fee income and costs tied to recent acquisitions.

Cullen/Frost Bankers in San Antonio said it plans to report a large increase in its loan-loss provision because of issues in the energy sector.

Barclays Chief Executive Officer Jes Staley has started a fresh round of cuts at the investment bank, affecting staff in New York, London and most deeply in Asia, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Pinnacle Financial Partners in Nashville, Tenn., has agreed to buy a bigger stake in Bankers Healthcare Group in Southwest Ranches, Fla.

Wintrust Financial's fourth-quarter earnings fell 7% from a year earlier, to $35.5 million, as a revenue surge failed to offset the higher costs associated with recent acquisitions.

Management has also been allocating more resources to other markets to add loans and boost fee income in businesses such as card services and wealth management. Such moves are designed to offset fallout from an energy book that shrunk by 14% last year.

Costs associated with M&T Bank's successful but prolonged effort to buy Hudson City Bancorp pushed the Buffalo, N.Y., company's fourth-quarter profit lower.

International events like the Davos economic forum should remind business leaders of the importance of being stewards and of having workforce diversity.

Mackinac Financial in Manistique, Mich., has agreed to buy First National Bank of Eagle River in Wisconsin.

Still facing revenue challenges, Regions, PNC and U.S. Bank vowed to reduce overhead in 2016. The cuts are less about bolstering short-term returns than funding investments in cutting-edge technologies or new products and services to remain competitive.