Capital One

The two companies in the largest bank merger since the 2008 financial crisis released details of their agreement. It leaves the door open for Discover to field better offers, though the payments company would pay a break-up fee of 4% if it accepts one.

In the wake of the largest U.S. bank deal in more than 15 years, industry executives offered mixed views about the prospects for more big acquisitions. They also spoke about the deal's impact on competition in the credit card business.

The credit card lender's blockbuster acquisition of Discover is not guaranteed to get across the finish line. But co-founder and CEO Richard Fairbank appears to see the rewards that would come from controlling a payments network as outweighing the potential downside.

The combined company could streamline card payments in a manner similar to American Express' "three party network" — while also doing more with artificial intelligence and other technologies.

The blockbuster merger proposal will be reviewed at a time when the Biden administration is expressing skepticism about consolidation. Its analysis will have to account for markets dominated by both big banks and the likes of Visa and Mastercard.

Capital One Financial's proposed acquisition of Discover Financial Services would create a credit card behemoth with its own payments network. The deal is likely to draw tough regulatory scrutiny, though analysts say there are many compelling strategic reasons for the combination.

Wells Fargo's Charlie Scharf and Morgan Stanley's James Gorman recorded the biggest gains among the CEOs whose compensation has been disclosed so far.

The stable outlook is an indication that — at least for some lenders — the much-feared cycle of cardholders defaulting on their obligations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic may not turn out to be so bad.

Retail customers at large banks were a bit more satisfied this year than in 2022, a new J.D. Power study finds. However, more of those same customers are moving cash to — and seeking advice from — wealth management firms and online banks.

Executives at Capital One, U.S. Bank, BMO and Atlantic Union Bank are striving for seamless onboarding and more efficient branch bankers, among other projects on their technology drawing boards.

Banks have been working to sell portfolios of commercial-property debt as they seek to manage their exposure to the sector. Soaring borrowing costs have weighed on valuations, with commercial real estate prices slumping 16% in September from a peak in March 2022, according to real estate analytics firm Green Street. 

Banks like Capital One, U.S. Bank and Santander are updating their floor plans and their menus — often with a discount on food or beverages for cardholders — to reach more millennial and Gen Z consumers.

JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and TD Auto Finance all see opportunities in providing financing to dealers for inventory, the purchase of competitors and the addition of infrastructure for electric vehicle sales. Two other banks recently said they're exiting the business, which could provide a further opening.

Some of the biggest names in banking have started using large language models to organize their institutional knowledge, but use cases like chatbots remain experimental.

Education in financial literacy instills both know-how and confidence, knowledge most teens lack when transitioning into adulthood.

In another sign that the pandemic-fueled migration to digital transactions is here to stay, Capital One is dropping a mobile-payment incentive for REI credit card customers as it takes over issuance of the Mastercard from U.S. Bank.

The McLean, Virginia, company is starting to “trim around the edges” of its auto portfolio, CEO Richard Fairbank said. That move stands in contrast with Capital One's leaning into its credit card business, which helped push marketing spending above $1 billion.

The past two weeks have seen a flurry of deals wherein Truist, Capital One and others pitch their brand alongside professional teams and their stadiums.

The banks that own the peer-to-peer payment network are reportedly considering a retail launch that could fend off rival payment methods — or simply cannibalize the sizable revenue issuers get from credit and debit cards.

“As the CEO of one of America’s largest banks, Richard Fairbank repeatedly broke the law,” the acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition said.