The initiative comes as the bank is carving out a niche in the market for midsize companies.

The good news: SBA lending is going gangbusters and business owners are optimistic about growth prospects and their ability to access credit. The not-so-good news: Many firms are still not particularly interested in borrowing and startups are not the engines of job creation they once were.

The regional bank has a deal to acquire Western Reserve Partners, which offers merger-advisory services to midsize companies.

Fees from capital markets activities have propelled profits at several regional banks when they needed it —and just as the Glass-Steagall redux crowd wants to kill that business.

Executives at BB&T, KeyCorp and Citizens are milking commercial lending niches and balancing cost control with new investments while waiting for more rate hikes to fatten margins.

The "Citizens Checkup" program to help customers set financial goals has come under fire, but CEO Bruce Van Saun says it is valuable and "here to stay," and that the criticism of it pales in comparison to the Wells Fargo scandal.

First-quarter earnings at the Providence, R.I., company jumped 45% thanks partly to improvements in its net interest margin, 7% loan growth and stronger card and other noninterest income.

John Fawcett, previously CFO at Citizens Financial in Providence, R.I., will succeed Carol Hayles.

Citizens Financial dropped the most in the 24-company KBW Bank Index after some branch workers told a newspaper they faked information about customers attending its "Citizens Checkup" program.

By partnering with the matchmaking platform Opportunity Network, Citizens will be able to better connect corporate clients to deals worldwide.