Curt Farmer, CEO of the Dallas company, defends its management of a Treasury Department program that provides federal benefits on prepaid cards. He says a recent American Banker investigative article "ignores the fact that Comerica took steps to protect Direct Express users when it became aware that a third-party vendor had not followed program protocols for reviewing customer inquiries."

Comerica's shoddy handling of its Treasury contract to manage Social Security and veterans benefits — including outsourcing fraud claims to a vendor in Pakistan — is emblematic of how the banking industry treats the poor.

A Comerica Bank executive admitted to major failures in its handling of the Treasury Department's Direct Express program, including data and resolved fraud disputes sent to a vendor's office in Lahore, Pakistan, a "serious" contract violation.

The Dallas-based bank, whose deposit base is more commercial-focused, has seen significant outflows in deposits over the past year. But last quarter's declines were "better than we expected," and there are other signs that the environment may moderate this year, its CFO said.

The Dallas-based company is expanding in the Southeast and the Mountain West, and overhauling its digital systems, as part of a plan that executives say will pay off over a two- to five-year period.

The industry must adapt quickly to the changing preferences of entrepreneurs and the innovation of nonbanks such as PayPal and Square, according to speakers at American Banker's Small Biz Banking Conference. Traditional players such as U.S. Bancorp and Comerica say they're making the necessary investments.

The largest bank based in oil-rich Texas is building a framework for gauging the threat that climate change poses to its business and plans to disclose more information on the subject this summer. Meanwhile, its energy loan portfolio shrank 24% year over year.

The Dallas bank appointed Sonya Trac to lead business development in communities that have been hit hard by both the pandemic-induced recession and a recent wave of discrimination. It is also depositing $2.5 million at a Los Angeles bank that serves Asian Americans.

Gage is essentially charged with implementing executives’ vision into practical changes at the Dallas-based company.