Growth strategies

Citigroup plans to hire more than 4,000 tech staff to help move its institutional clients online in the wake of the pandemic.

Perennial No. 1 Oregon Bancorp, which operates as Willamette Valley Bank, boasts strong sources of fee and interest income, sound underwriting and vibrant geographic markets. It’s a formula shared by many on American Banker's list of the 200 highest-performing publicly traded small banks.

NatWest Group is considering launching a separate digital lender for small businesses in the U.K. to find a new avenue of growth for the bank.

The buy now/pay later provider Klarna Bank is pushing further into the retail industry by offering traditional stores a platform to stream and video-chat with online customers.

Properly designed public banks would be safer than private banks while promoting economic growth.

The new hires joined Veritex from Bank of Houston, which has also been aggressively recruiting bankers.

The Mississippi-based First says the deal would allow it to acquire key talent, bolster its presence in northwest Florida and expand into the Tampa area.

Bruce Van Saun, the Rhode Island bank’s CEO, previewed a branch-light strategy in new markets like South Florida and Washington, D.C. Citizens recently closed acquisitions of Investors Bancorp and much of HSBC’s U.S. retail banking business.

One year after CEO Jane Fraser launched a business revamp, Citigroup reported lower revenue, higher expenses and a big reserve for loan losses in Russia. Yet the company’s long-term plan to streamline operations and invest in high-performing businesses — all with an aim to strengthen shareholder returns — still appears on track.

Citigroup agreed to sell its consumer banking operations in Bahrain to Ahli United Bank BSC as part of the lender’s continued push to simplify.

In his annual letter to shareholders, the JPMorgan Chase CEO wrote that although the U.S. economy remains strong, “we should prepare for the potential negative outcomes.” He also provided more detail about the megabank’s big spending plans.

Barclays is developing a global private credit strategy, according to several people familiar with the situation, seeking to take part in the fast-growing $1.2 trillion asset class.

Citigroup agreed to sell its India retail banking business for about 123 billion rupees ($1.6 billion) cash to Axis Bank, as the U.S. lender seeks to consolidate its operations in identified markets.

Citizens Financial Group is mulling the acquisition of a wealth manager or even a lender in Florida following a deal spree by the bank last year, CEO Bruce Van Saun said.

Seven of the 10 largest merger agreements since 2012 have been struck in the last year and a half. Here's a look at how they stack up against each other.

The Vernon Hill-led bank is being buffeted by a board rebellion, a lawsuit and a burgeoning proxy fight all tied to the complaints of two investor groups that say their returns are subpar if not in the negative.

In a survey last month, only one in 10 chief executives identified mergers as their top priority, while 77% pointed to organic growth. The sparse interest in dealmaking may be due to volatile markets, along with slower approvals from regulators.

CEO Nitin Mhatre, who joined the Massachusetts bank in 2021, said that any M&A deal is at least a year away. For now, the bank is working with fintechs as a way to bolster its balance sheet and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Liberty Bank and Texas Capital Bank are among those trying to attract new online-only customers while experimenting with technologies to benefit the institutions overall.

Citigroup said profitability will fall as the bank pursues a strategy shift that it said will raise expenses in the near term.