CIT Group

In the midst of its merger with CIT Group, First Citizens in North Carolina has hired an in-house chief counsel with experience in corporate integrations.

The five-year pledge, tied to the company's pending acquisition of CIT Group, earmarks nearly $6 billion for small-business lending and $3.2 billion for affordable housing.

CIT Group over a year's time brushed off several offers from First Citizens BancShares, entertained rival bids and kept negotiating on price and board representation before striking a deal, according to a new regulatory filing.

The veteran executive will receive a $13 million lump-sum payment if she stays with the North Carolina company for two years after the deal closes.

The family-owned bank from the South and the New York commercial lender each would fill a clear need for the other. First Citizens would gain business lending expertise and an online deposit-gathering platform, and CIT would get the cheap deposits it coveted.

The combined company would be the nation's 19th-largest bank with roughly $110 billion of assets.

While elevated loan-loss provisions are expected to eat into all banks’ earnings, midsize banks could suffer more than their big-bank rivals because they have fewer revenue drivers. Meanwhile, investors will be watching closely for any signs of dividend cuts stemming from the Federal Reserve’s caps on payouts.

The comptroller of the currency, who is stepping down after two and a half years on the job, ruffled feathers and won some fans in pushing through CRA reform, cutting costs and trying to reshape the agency’s examiner culture.

Recognizing the sizable opportunity in batteries, some project finance banks have recently begun supporting battery developments, and others expect to follow soon.

A new app will allow small-business clients to quickly apply for credit while expanded offerings for homeowners associations will help CIT build up its base of low-cost deposits.