BB&T

Total loans fell 1.6% at the North Carolina-based regional bank, which has been scaling back in key segments such as residential mortgages and auto. Wider margins offset that reduction, but earnings were flat and revenue growth small.

Flush with cash, many commercial firms are also opting to pay down debt rather than take on new loans, and those seeking financing aren’t always turning to banks to meet their needs.

Credit card issuers have been trying to outdo each other to offer the best rewards program. And it shows, as customer satisfaction rates with many (but not all) of their banks have never been higher in a yearly J.D. Power study. But they may not last forever.

As much as $2.5 trillion, or nearly half of bank deposit growth since the crisis, may be attributable to the central bank's quantitative easing. If investors start drawing down on their accounts to buy back assets from the Fed, the trend could dampen liquidity at certain banks, add upward pressure on deposit prices and reshape M&A.

The regional bank reported an 8% gain in fee income and trimmed costs amid 1% loan growth.

Higher dividends and more aggressive repurchase programs are bound to attract more investors, which could boost stock prices and prompt more dealmaking, analysts said.

Following are notable cases where banks were tripped up by the Fed's stress tests either by flunking the numbers (or quantitative) part of the test or raising red flags on a qualitative basis.

With the first half of 2017 drawing to a close, bank executives gathered this week at the Morgan Stanley Financial Services conference to discuss their companies’ performance thus far and, more important, outline their priorities for the rest of the year and beyond. Here are some of the highlights.

CEO Kelly King also did not rule out a return to bank M&A now that BB&T has completed the integration of Susquehanna Bancshares and National Penn Bancshares.

Attractive demographics, a large supply of startups that appeared built to sell and a surplus of smaller banks struggling with high expenses have combined to make the Mid-Atlantic one of the most active regions for mergers and acquisitions.