M&T Bank

Commercial lending provided a boost for some regional banks in the third quarter, but further rate cuts and a slowing economy could challenge future growth.

The Pittsburgh company is not interested in bank acquisitions, CEO Demchak says; why Citi, Wells, JPMorgan are seeing a spike in API calls; FHFA's Mark Calabria details next steps on GSE reform; and more from this week's most-read stories.

M&T has skillfully used hedges, maintained an appropriate loan mix and resisted offering market-leading deposit rates, its chief financial officer said at a financial services conference.

M&T Bank, Zions and Comerica are among the regional banks facing the most pressure on net interest margins, Wells Fargo analysts said in a research note to investors.

When M&T Bank was acquiring Wilmington Trust in 2011, it tapped into Abigail Mrozinski's deep understanding of its newly added wealth business to help the merger go smoothly.

The bank’s CFO says it has enough liquidity to meet loan demand in the short term, but how long can it keep its loan-to-deposit ratio below 100%?

Simple math only partly explains why smaller lenders are adding commercial and industrial loans at a faster clip than their larger counterparts.

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.

Demand for commercial loans surged in the fourth quarter and executives at the Buffalo company see the momentum continuing in the new year.

Richard Harra was also fined $300,000 for painting a false picture of the bank’s financial health at the height of the financial crisis.

Are midsize banks in position to disrupt, or are they investing billions in technology because they can’t afford not to?

Christopher Kay will oversee the Buffalo, N.Y., bank's branch and ATM networks as well as development of products and services that seek to mimic the cutting-edge offerings of other industries.

Executives are reluctant to pull back on their big investments in technology, arguing they must stay competitive and that they have flexibility in other areas to trim costs if growth begins to stagnate.

Total loans fell, but earnings soared thanks to wider margins, a smaller loan provision and fewer legal costs now that the Wilmington Trust probe is settled.

While the regulatory environment is more accommodating for big deals, many regionals still have their reasons for staying on the sidelines.

Repayments on acquired residential mortgage loans were the main reason, but other bottom-line boosters more than made up for that, the Buffalo, N.Y., bank said in reporting second-quarter results.

The rents are steep and they don't generate much revenue, but some banks believe that airport branches still have a role to play in their retail strategies — particularly as advice centers.

Everyone agrees good corporate governance involves a board that is just the “right” size and has a “good mix” of knowledgeable insiders and independent watchdogs. But setting bright-line rules for banks as varied as M&T, Wells Fargo and Eastern Bank is hard.

Attorneys for then-President Robert Harra said he is innocent and will file an appeal. The case centers on a scheme said to have been carried out during the crisis years, before the bank was sold to M&T.

A $135 million increase in litigation expenses related to its 2011 acquisition of Wilmington Trust overshadowed a wider net interest margin and improved credit quality for the Buffalo, N.Y., company in the first quarter.