Finance

Nine months after acquiring Heartland Financial, Missouri's largest bank posted a complicated quarter.

The Federal Reserve's interest rate-setting body is expected to announce a 25 basis point cut and provide guidance on the trajectory of its balance sheet Wednesday afternoon.

The bank technology company, which faces market pressure from fintechs, cut its outlook by about 20% and restructured its leadership following the departure of former CEO Frank Bisignano to the Trump administration.

The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to announce guidance on the end of its quantitative tightening program later Wednesday. As that process draws to a close, experts are questioning when and how the central bank should use its balance sheet to smooth economic stress in the future.

The payments giant had a "better than expected" fiscal fourth quarter, and said it expected that momentum to carry through the holidays. It's also looking forward to tailwinds brought by the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

The challenger bank in the third quarter launched Cash Coach, an AI-powered customer insights engine that helps consumers optimize earned interest in deposit accounts and minimize interest charges on credit cards. SoFi plans to roll out a "more comprehensive" SoFi Coach that incorporates all areas of financial services as part of its strategy to rival banks.

The payment company launched new tools for merchants and entered artificial intelligence collaborations with OpenAI and Mastercard ahead of the company's second quarter earnings, which beat analyst expectations.

The New York-based bank, which works with many Democratic campaigns, faces investor concerns that it might be targeted by the Trump administration. CEO Priscilla Sims Brown says the bank's "strong profitability" is its best shield from political threats.

The Arkansas-based company spent nearly four years on the M&A sidelines, grappling with asset quality issues and litigation tied to its 2022 acquisition of Texas-based Happy State Bank. Now it's signed a letter of intent to buy an unnamed bank.

Boston-based Eastern Bankshares is focused on organic growth, but it would "evaluate the opportunity" for M&A if a deal presents itself, its CEO said Friday. The comments came four days after an activist investor criticized the bank's recent M&A transactions.

The Long Island-based bank hasn't been profitable in eight quarters, but executives maintain that it's on the right path, citing more loan book diversity, lower expenses and an improved margin.

The Richmond, Virginia-based bank expects to build 10 branches in Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina, over the next three years. M&A is on the back burner as the company also works to capitalize on its recent acquisition of Sandy Spring Bank in Maryland, CEO John Asbury said.

The North Carolina bank is the latest lender impacted by the bankruptcy of U.S. auto parts maker First Brands. First Citizens executives said credit was in good shape overall.

The credit card issuer added two programs with home goods retailers Raymour and Flanigan and Bed Bath and Beyond during the quarter while also increasing its stock buyback allocation and dividend payouts.

The company is leveraging its bank charter and strong customer acquisition, with app logins up nearly 50% from borrowers.

The Dallas-based regional bank's return on average assets exceeded its goal of 1.1% for the first time, coming in at 1.3% for the third quarter. The bank has been in transformation mode since 2021.

In addition, John Roscoe and Brandon Hamara have been appointed co-presidents at the government-sponsored enterprise, effective immediately.

An apparent increase in large-scale borrower fraud and the hot environment for bank mergers were the key themes as banks discussed their third-quarter results.

The McClean, Virginia-based bank said Tuesday that credit quality remained strong in the third quarter, and that it has approved a plan to buy back $16 billion of common stock. It's temporarily tapping the brakes on loan growth as it digests the Discover acquisition.

Following a $60 million credit hit, the Salt Lake City bank said that it hasn't found any other related problem loans.