BB&T

Building alliances with startups is the most affordable route for community banks that want to offer innovative services, but industry officials cautioned that they must be balanced with smart internal investments, too.

Technology is often cited as the leg up large banks have in winning over customers, but regionals are worried about the “billions and billions” bigger rivals can pour into ubiquitous ad campaigns.

Are midsize banks in position to disrupt, or are they investing billions in technology because they can’t afford not to?

Banks technically relieved of the “systemically important” label in last spring’s legislative package are lobbying regulators hard over concerns that they could still face tough standards.

On paper, conditions would seem favorable for regional banks to pursue acquisitions in order to overcome organic growth challenges. But executives have poured cold water on that idea in recent days.

A shifting C&I landscape, heated competition for deposits and red flags in consumer lending also took center stage in often testy exchanges between bankers and analysts on quarterly earnings calls.

The North Carolina company reported slightly lower costs and a stable net interest margin in the third quarter.

Even among the experts in the payments industry, people still use cash. Banks can't ignore this, according to Paul Amisano, senior vice president for enterprise digital and payments strategy at BB&T.

It’s a testament to Duck’s leadership skills that BB&T was able to revamp much of its tech infrastructure in the span of a year. It’s even more impressive that the bank hit its tech targets while its CIO was fighting the battle of her life.

Several hard realities, including legacy technology and the pace of change in software and apps, leave firms vulnerable to outages that stir public outcry.

The bank chalked up its outage to "a normal system upgrade that experienced technical difficulty."

While the regulatory environment is more accommodating for big deals, many regionals still have their reasons for staying on the sidelines.

A tempered forecast overshadowed solid second-quarter results at the North Carolina regional bank.

The company continues to be restricted from pursuing acquisitions until the Federal Reserve lifts its enforcement order requiring it to strengthen anti-money-laundering controls.

With plenty of cash on hand, many commercial firms have had little need to tap existing credit lines.

BB&T is buying Regions Financial's insurance business. That made the timing right for its retail broker to undergo a name change, the company said.

Whether they’re thwarting cyber thieves or building out new apps, bank chiefs say hefty tech investments are now a cost of doing business — but they have to convince shareholders.

The numbers are better but still disappointing for such a healthy economy, lamented executives from large U.S. banks. Some are scratching their heads, some are remaining upbeat about the second half of the year, and others are focusing on Plan B.

Investments in analytics and a focus on courting midsize businesses have helped regional banks add non-interest-bearing deposits even as they struggle for other types of deposits. Can they keep it up as rates rise?

The agency’s 2013 guidance is frequently portrayed as either an overdue push to stamp out lending discrimination or a case study in regulatory overreach. In truth, its impact was minimal.