From helping hospitals purchase new testing kits and ventilators to backing efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, banks large and small are pledging millions of dollars to assist with medical relief efforts.

JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and U.S. Bancorp, along with 200 state-chartered banks and credit unions, have agreed to let borrowers skip payments for 90 days if their finances have been upended by the pandemic.

It joins a growing list of banks temporarily shuttering branches as the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country and more Americans stay home. Meanwhile, Citi and rival Wells Fargo became the latest banks to announce plans to pay bonuses to front-line employees.

BofA, JPMorgan said they are paying bonuses to branch and call center employees; the bank says removing the $1.9 trillion limit on growth will help it lend to more customers in need.

Banks cutting back on branch services — or closing stores outright — to slow spread of coronavirus; Trump administration to halt foreclosures as pandemic worsens; Wells Fargo hires TD's Ellen Patterson as general counsel; and more from this week's most-read stories.

After resigning last year under pressure from federal policymakers, the former executive received no severance benefits or annual incentive award.

The governors want more regulatory power as federal oversight slips; U.S. and European banks dropped sharply Monday as coronavirus-related problems multiply.

The banks — including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup — agreed to stop buying back their own shares through the second quarter, saying they will focus on supporting clients and the nation during the coronavirus pandemic.

TD Bank Group's top lawyer will succeed Allen Parker at scandal-plagued Wells Fargo later this month.

From scams to watch out for to the role banks play in an SBA virus loan program, news about the pandemic's impact was everywhere. Also: As State Farm bows out, U.S. Bank seizes an expansion opportunity; CFPB sues Fifth Third for allegedly opening phony accounts; and more from this week's most-read stories.

Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee, said financial institutions "need to be investing in their communities right now, not investing in their CEOs’ stock portfolios.”

The bank’s former chair expressed regret over comments attributed to her in a House report, while Democrats and Republicans butted heads over whether the hearing was necessary.

The chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee should call on regulators to take more aggressive steps with bad banking practices, starting with Wells.

Leaders to parlay with president as banks worldwide offer to aid customers; Wells CEO says the bank will be run “fundamentally differently” than in the past.

Kathy Kraninger was grilled about whether her agency and others were doing enough to cushion consumers from the economic blow of the coronavirus crisis.

The chair of the House Financial Services Committee, Maxine Waters, contends that Tim Sloan knowingly made misleading and inaccurate comments during a hearing before her panel last year.

House Democrats maintained their criticism of the bank during Charlie Scharf's first hearing, but Republicans suggested it is on better footing now that many top leaders have been replaced.

Concerns about the economic fallout of coronavirus have mostly focused on supply chain disruptions. But fears are growing that weakening consumer demand could spark a recession.

The employee, who works on the 23rd floor of the bank's 555 California St. offices in San Francisco, "is at home while their health is being closely monitored by their doctor and public health authorities," a spokeswoman for the bank said.

The House Financial Services Committee is still planning to have former Wells Fargo board members Betsy Duke and James Quigley testify after they announced their resignations.