After several quarters of slumping investment banking and trading fees, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based company reported a big uptick from that division, which helped compensate for a large decline in net interest income.

Truist has made about 20 hires including bankers, traders, and sales personnel from Wells Fargo, Hilltop Securities and T. Rowe Price, to build up its muni team.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, company has agreed to sell its remaining 80% stake in its insurance brokerage unit to raise billions of dollars in cash and extra capital. The "wild card" is how Truist will deploy them, one analyst says.

The North Carolina bank agreed to offload Sterling Capital Management to Guardian Capital Group in Toronto. It's the latest step in the effort to simplify Truist.

In this month's roundup of top banking news: Truist Financial announces plans to shutter 4% of its branch network, Fiserv pursues a special-purpose bank charter, Wells Fargo distributes a $1,000 bonus to lower-paid employees and more.

Williams, who died this week at age 90, was CEO of SunTrust — one of the banks that would become Truist — for many years. He also served on the boards of several organizations in Atlanta, including Coca-Cola.

Financial institutions, led by the biggest U.S. banks and regional lenders, have dominated high-grade issuance, making up over 60% of the $149 billion that has priced so far this month.

Despite a surge in quarterly expenses in the fourth quarter and a projected uptick in the first quarter, the North Carolina company is standing by its expense guidance for 2024.