BB&T and SunTrust have extra incentive to close deal in '19

Signage for BB&T and SunTrust is displayed on buildings in Florida.
Completing the deal before the new year would let the merged company avoid an earnings hit in complying with the Current Expected Credit Loss accounting standard and give it more flexibility on capital adjustments.

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First Horizon to buy 30 branches as part of BB&T-SunTrust divestiture

SunTrust branch
SunTrust Banks Inc. signage hangs above an automated teller machine (ATM) at a branch in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014. SunTrust Banks Inc. announced plans in Aug. to hire as many as 200 people for its investment bank to expand businesses including capital markets and stock research and add expertise targeting the energy and health-care industries. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
BB&T and SunTrust had to sell the branches to get Justice Department approval of their merger, a key step toward closing the deal.

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Fannie and Freddie will likely exit conservatorship by 2024, Calabria says

FHFA Director Mark Calabria
Mark Calabria, U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director, testifies during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on the the Trump Administration's plans to change housing finance in America on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., on October 22, 2019. Photographer: Zach Gibson/Bloomberg
And the government-sponsored enterprises could hold initial public offerings in 2021 or 2022 to ensure they hold adequate capital, FHFA Director Mark Calabria said.

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Tired of paying 'ransom' to core vendors, two small banks fund new one

ABA principles for strong banker-core relationships
The State Bank Group and The Provident Bank are backing Neocova, which focuses on community banks.

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Small banks resisting digital (yes, they exist) warned to wise up

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Most consumers, even those in rural communities, have become accustomed to digital services. That's something certain community banks better face up to, panelists at the ABA conference said.

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Banks shift focus in small business as loan growth slows

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Banks are putting more effort in deposit gathering and fee-based products to offset thinning margins and increased payoffs by small-business clients.

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Will Iberiabank's no-premium deal touch off big-bank M&A wave?

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The Louisiana company's willingness to combine with First Horizon without a big initial payday is fueling talk that other banks could be keen on selling at relatively inexpensive prices.

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Banks want a Camels overhaul, but chiming in is risky

FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams
Jelena McWilliams, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), speaks during a House Financial Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, May 16, 2019. A top Democratic lawmaker yesterday questioned whether the Federal Reserve Vice Chairman can be trusted when he says leveraged lending isn't a current threat to the financial system, pointing to his failure to foresee similar dangers before the credit crisis a decade earlier. Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/Bloomberg
Many in the industry have cheered regulators' interest in improving the supervisory rating system, but they may shy from commenting publicly about their experiences in a confidential process.

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U.S. banks are playing catch-up with Chinese fintechs

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Banks should stop competing on volume with large techs and start competing on added-value services to win over customers.

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In partisan D.C., House banking panel flips the script

Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., and House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
Representative Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California and chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, speaks with Representative Patrick McHenry, a Republican of North Carolina and ranking member, left, before the start of a hearing with Tim Sloan, president and chief executive officer of Wells Fargo & Co., not pictured, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Scandals at Wells Fargo erupted in 2016 on the revelation that bank employees opened millions of potentially fake accounts to meet sales goals. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Bankers had worried about Rep. Maxine Waters' control of the Financial Services Committee, but many now say the Democrat's working relationship with the panel's top Republican is refreshing.

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