The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sent a mass email to thousands of the bank's customers and former employees to gather information about the possible creation of phony accounts. Critics — including a federal judge — say the CFPB asked leading questions and may have overstepped its bounds.

As Mastercard Installments nears launch, the card network is lining up tech partners to connect issuers to its buy now/pay later ecosystem.

January was a quiet month for traditional bank mergers and acquisitions, but some big-name firms still struck big deals. Here's a look back at the month's most noteworthy deals.

A few months ago bankers were more hopeful than confident about an end to depressed demand for business credit. Now CEOs at Huntington, Fifth Third, Mercantile Bank and other companies are touting strong fourth-quarter loan growth, burgeoning pipelines and local job creation as reasons for optimism.

The deal is the latest example of a mainstream bank buying a point-of-sale lender focused on financing home improvement projects.

The retail consolidation in Midwestern markets will also support the bank’s branch expansion in Atlanta, Charlotte and other fast-growing cities across the Southeast.

The fintech specializes in lending to dentists, veterinarians and other solo providers looking to grow or establish their own practice.

The Cincinnati company's new Momentum checking and savings will give customers extra time to avoid overdraft fees, quicker access to paychecks and the option for advances on future direct deposits.

The Ohio company has opened just 32 of 120 new branches it plans in the region by 2022, but those offices are making a sizable contribution to growth.

Greg Carmichael said lightly regulated challenger banks pose a long-term threat to traditional banks, echoing comments JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon made last week.

Fifth Third is partnering with Provide and Panacea Financial works with Sonabank in Virginia to meet the specialized needs of medical professionals who own their own practices.

The Cincinnati bank joins a growing list of banks pledging billions of dollars to fight systemic racism and help close the wealth gap that exists between white and minority households.

A former Fifth Third executive recently accused the company of failing to deliver on a promise to make him president because he’s in his mid-50s. The case offers important lessons in hiring and succession planning as the banking industry cuts costs and seeks out younger, digital-savvy managers.

Fifth Third Bancorp promoted Chief Risk Officer Jamie Leonard to succeed Tayfun Tuzun, who will become chief financial officer of BMO Financial Group on Jan. 1. Both companies made other executive moves at the same time.

Spence’s promotion to president could signal that the Cincinnati banking company is grooming him as a potential successor to Chairman and CEO Greg Carmichael.

The Cincinnati company, one of just a handful of lenders to reduce its cushion against bad credits in the third quarter, was grilled by analysts who suggested it was being too optimistic about the long-term effects of the pandemic recession.

House forgiveness plan for Paycheck Protection Program loans is better than nothing, bankers say; why some banks still lean on mainframes; what's next for Goldman Sachs's Marcus; and more from this week's most-read stories.

The bank contends that the misconduct wasn't widespread, but a whistleblower letter unearthed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau points to Chicago as a hotbed of customer abuse. "We are becoming a 'predatory' financial institution," the 2010 letter said.

A conversation with Greg Carmichael, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fifth Third Bancorp discussing the consumer banking trends and lessons learned during the pandemic.

CEO Greg Carmichael says the Cincinnati company has cut expenses but will proceed with branch openings in the Southeast and investments in its commercial loan and mortgage origination platforms to lay the groundwork for post-pandemic growth.