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Hard sell ahead for BB&T-SunTrust as 'Truist' lands with a thud

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Judging by day one on social media, you'd think the new Truist brand was a flop. But marketing and branding experts say the name has a lot going for it. What matters most will be how the two banks advocate for the name.

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BB&T-SunTrust unveil postmerger name that nods to legacies

Repurposed chart of key stats about combined BB&T, SunTrust
The combined company will be known as Truist, which plays off "trust," a word the banks' original names had in common.

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Citizens looks to poach BB&T-SunTrust talent, but should expect a fight

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The Rhode Island company is counting on disruption from the megamerger to accelerate its Southeast expansion, according to commercial banking chief Don McCree. But BB&T's Kelly King has a message for him: Not so fast.

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First Tennessee, Capital Bank to be rebranded as First Horizon

Dawn Morris, chief digital banking and marketing officer of First Horizon National
The Memphis, Tenn., company said a common corporate identity for all its units made sense given a recent acquisition and its growth ambitions.

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Capital One, Discover prepping for next downturn

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The large credit card issuers are becoming more selective about who they are extending credit to and how much they are willing to lend, their CEOs said Tuesday.

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Credit union shopping spree funded by taxpayers

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US congress building in Washington DC, with blue sky
As credit unions buy up community banks, policymakers should take another look at ending the industry's tax exemption and regulatory breaks.

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Cheat sheet: What Senate AML bill means for financial industry

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.
Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia and ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, listens during a press conference previewing the committee's findings on Russian election meddling at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. The U.S. needs to do more -- and quickly -- to prevent a repeat of hacking into voting systems by Russians or others ahead of this year's midterm elections, the Senate Intelligence Committee warned. Photographer: Toya Sarno Jordan/Bloomberg
The good news for financial firms is Congress has moved closer to reforming anti-money-laundering rules. But left behind in the effort is the reform most coveted by the industry.

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Legalizing pot may be only way to lift cloud over pot banking

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Marijuana plants grow in a greenhouse at the Los Suenos Farms facility in Avondale, Colorado, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016. About 938 dispensaries, which outnumber Starbucks in Colorado, in 2015 yielded $135 million in state taxes and fees, 44 percent more than a year earlier. Yet as the market enters its third year after voters legalized retail sales in 2012, officials question whether the newfound income outweighs the escalating social costs. Photographer: Matthew Staver/Bloomberg
Recent legislation zeros in on letting financial institutions serve cannabis businesses in states where the substance is legal, but banks may stay on the sidelines if the federal ban on pot remains in place.

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Credit union courts nonmember deposits (and trouble with banks)

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Freedom Northwest in Idaho hopes a proposal from the NCUA will help it bring in more deposits to fund a fast-growing mortgage business. Banks are crying foul.

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Why U.S. consumers are less willing to embrace fintechs

US consumer awareness of fintech
In a study of 27 global markets, the U.S. ranked near the bottom for consumer use of fintech, raising questions about why Americans appear reluctant to dive in.

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Branding Recruiting Risk management Credit unions AML Marijuana banking Truist Financial BB&T SunTrust Citizens Financial
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