M&T Bank

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.

One problem is that banks are shifting to online and mobile channels for delivering advice, which is inferior to in-person communications, according to a recent survey conducted by J.D. Power.

Most general counsels are men, but in 2017 women filled more than half of the top legal positions that opened up at large financial firms. The trend is likely to continue as the population of women lawyers swells and banks continue to diversify their senior ranks.

The Buffalo-based company donated a record $50 million to its charitable foundation to honor its former CEO Robert Wilmers, who passed away in late 2017.

Jones, who was CFO until last year, succeeds Robert Wilmers, who passed away unexpectedly last week.

Mary Mack adds mortgage and auto units to her already large portfolio; futures price dips but volume up compared to Cboe’s first day of trading.

Bankers remember Bob Wilmers not only for spearheading the growth of M&T, but also embracing his role as the industry's voice in turbulent times.

Long-time CEO grew M&T Bank into a $120 billion regional lender; Jim McCarthy, a high-profile manager, didn’t inform company about relationships.

Robert Wilmers joined M&T in 1983 when it had just $2 billion of assets and built it into a regional powerhouse with $120 billion of assets and operations in a dozen states.

For the second week in a row, the CFPB's leadership shakeout dominated readers' attention, while a regional banker discussed efforts to fight hacking and the impact of the tax cuts, and bitcoin's price soared.