The Columbus, Ohio, company said Thursday that it expects the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates twice this year and two more times in 2020.

The Columbus, Ohio, bank has hired a former executive from Bank of America to run the new business, which will target physician, dentist and veterinary practices.

Speaking at a conference on Wednesday, CFO Howell McCullough mostly ruled out a merger of equals as a growth strategy for the $108 billion-asset Huntington.

Stephen Steinour said it was pure conjecture that Huntington was a possible suitor for the Dallas bank if it decides to put itself up for sale at some point. He emphasized Huntington's core-growth strategy and upbeat economic signs from consumers and businesses.

Investors seem to be betting that a long-rumored sale of the Dallas company is on hold now that it has named a new CEO, but analysts say it remains an attractive takeover target for a larger regional bank.

Fifth Third is helping consumers — and millennials in particular — save for big-ticket purchases with a new tool that squirrels away small sums into an account that can’t be immediately accessed.

The stars aligned for the two longtime rivals to join forces, and some observers speculate that other regional banks will need to strike similar partnerships if they hope to remain competitive. But others say such deals are rare because they're hard to pull off.

At banks of all sizes — from the $7.2 billion-asset WSFS Financial to the $373 billion-asset Capital One — marketing budgets ballooned in the fourth quarter.

The New York company will also match donations made by its employees to Feeding America and United Way Worldwide.

With SBA lending at a standstill, many small businesses can't access the capital they need to create and retain jobs, Stephen Steinour says.

Its savings, budgeting, spending and goal-setting tools, combined with artificial intelligence to add smart insights and advice, are a good example of how regional banks are trying to distinguish their mobile products from those of bigger banks with larger tech budgets.

Branch acquisitions, once a popular way to scale up in new markets, have started to go by the wayside in the digital age.

The pressure is on for banks to lean more heavily on capital markets, wealth management and other nonmortgage sources of fee income. That could get tougher in upcoming quarters.

The Ohio company touted a strong pipeline for loans but warned that noninterest costs will likely rise in the fourth quarter when it records charges tied to branch closings.

Among Sandy Pierce's accomplishments during the past year, the senior executive vice president and regional banking director merged the wealth units of Huntingdon and First Merit, rebranding the business as Huntington Private Bank.

As chief risk officer, Helga Houston is responsible for Huntington Bancshares' annual capital plan, as well as maintaining solid credit quality. And her work speaks for itself.

Huntington Bancshares is acquiring Hutchinson Shockey as both look to broaden their public finance reach.

The Ohio company said low unemployment is keeping business clients from expanding, while higher asking prices are forcing it to avoid bank acquisitions.

The Ohio bank's total deposits grew, unlike at some other regionals, and CEO Stephen Steinour said its 28-basis-point increase in overall funding costs will pay off.

On quarterly earnings calls set to begin next week, investors will be listening closely to CEO comments for any hints of how banks might deploy excess capital if they are no longer deemed systemically important.