Growth strategies

The Sacramento-area institution moved quickly and decisively to fill the gap created by the loss of First Republic and Silicon Valley Bank. A first-quarter rise in Bay Area deposits is a sign of bigger gains to come, San Francisco Bay Area President DJ Kurtze says.

SouthState Corp. plans to purchase Independent Bank Group in a $2 billion deal, marking an end to the latter bank's long run of buying companies. Chairman and CEO David Brooks pointed to a challenging interest rate environment and heightened regulatory scrutiny as reasons he decided to sell.

One year after it bought First Republic Bank, the largest U.S. bank by assets is launching J.P. Morgan Private Client, a new tier in its affluent-consumer services that brings together JPMorgan's brand with First Republic's concierge model.

The Florida-based bank, which has been expanding across the South, would enter major markets such as Dallas and Houston with its planned all-stock acquisition of Independent Bank Group.

CEO Kevin Cohee is convinced WiseOne, the AI companion OneUnited Bank rolled out late last year, can help customers make better financial decisions. Cohee also wants to see his passion for personal fiscal improvement play to a wider audience, through development of a nationwide financial literacy curriculum.

The Los Angeles-based company, which focuses on Korean Americans, said the acquisition of Territorial Bancorp will allow it to expand its customer base.

The New York-based bank says it will push its concentration of commercial real estate loans below 400% of risk-based capital over the next two years and focus more on C&I.

New York Community Bancorp took a massive loan-loss provision and slashed its dividend to meet tougher capital and liquidity requirements after rocketing by that asset mark. A half dozen regionals face tough questions about whether they're better prepared than NYCB, which had to be rescued.

Banks are proceeding with caution as a new generation of AI tools arises.

After focusing on cost control throughout much of 2023, including a round of job cuts, the Pittsburgh company has announced plans to expand in high-growth markets like Texas and refurbish more than 1,200 existing offices.

The Providence, Rhode Island, company has recruited a head of wealth management advisors and a head of private wealth managers as part of a new strategy to reel in high-net worth clients.

A day after the regional bank's stock tumbled on tough fourth-quarter results and some austerity moves, observers debated whether management just needs time to build enough capital to catch up with growth or if it is still too overexposed in multifamily lending.

The private student loan market is in flux after one major lender, Discover Financial Services, said it's leaving the sector. Sallie Mae is gearing up to compete for that business, much as it did when Wells Fargo pulled up stakes in 2020.

The Columbus, Ohio-based bank expects to hike expenses by about 4.5% this year as it ramps up investments in geographic areas and specialty banking verticals where it sees growth opportunities.

Jane Fraser says this year will be "critical" for the megabank, which is engaged in a massive, multiyear restructuring that involves cutting 20,000 jobs by the end of 2026.

A new Cerulli report suggests that one of banks' best opportunities to grow in the coming years is right under their nose, with a client segment they often ignore.

If banks reached the same market penetration among U.S. customers of Latin American descent that they have among white Americans, they could tap an additional $155 billion in annual revenue, according to new research from the consulting giant McKinsey.

Once the pace of private equity-backed sales of middle-market companies picks up, the Rhode Island-based bank expects to benefit. CEO Bruce Van Saun says that Citizens' recent expansions in private banking and wealth management will provide opportunities to cross-sell to corporate clients.

The Ohio-based regional bank has laid out an ambitious expansion blueprint, including new health care asset-based lending, a Native American financial services unit and a push into commercial banking in North Carolina and South Carolina.