Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said in an exclusive interview with American Banker Monday that regulators must bring more new entrants into the banking industry, establish a level playing field between banks and fintechs, and shore up supervision amid mounting legal scrutiny.

HoldCo Asset Management alleged in a court filing that Comerica's directors and Chairman and CEO Curt Farmer breached their fiduciary duties to investors, in part because negotiations for the bank's sale to Fifth Third took just 17 days.

The Federal Reserve played a behind-the-scenes role in facilitating the sale of PacWest Bancorp, providing an enticement to private-equity interests to make a deal happen, according to agency records and recent comments by a prominent banking lawyer.

Advances from the Federal Home Loan Banks dipped in the third quarter, but experts do not necessarily see the dip as a sign of ample liquidity in the economy.

An activist investor is seeking more information on how, and when, the largest bank deal of 2025 came together.

BNY estimates the market for stablecoins, tokenized deposits and other assets will reach a combined value of $3.6 trillion in four years, while Standard Chartered says the entire banking industry will soon be "tokenized." The trend is creating pressure to update strategies and technology.

The government shutdown is over, and Congress gets back to its regular business. For banks, the biggest-ticket issues are ongoing deliberations on raising deposit insurance and shaping a crypto market structure bill.

Fed Gov. Stephan Miran has spent his short tenure at the central bank arguing that disinflation in housing and immigration reforms will tamp down inflation in the near term. But other economists say the timing, degree and context of those effects is very much in question.

Industry groups and consumer advocates are continuing to push for regulators to interpret the GENIUS Act's prohibition on stablecoin interest as broadly as possible, while crypto firms push for a narrower interpretation, arguing that increased competition would benefit consumers.

Eric Girard, who became the bank's head of embedded banking and co-head of commercial product in October, is aiming to make the technology more accessible.

The volume of home equity lines of credit expanded for the 14th consecutive quarter, driven largely by fintechs and other nonbanks that are accounting for more and more of the business.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is considering a proposal to reduce its oversight of auto finance lenders, saying the benefits of supervision may not justify the "increased compliance burdens."

A survey of bank executives conducted by fintech firm IntraFi found that an overwhelming majority of respondents think Federal Reserve Governors should only be removed by the president in cases of proven misconduct.

A new study has decoded banks' television commercials, analyzing what the messaging reveals about the bank behind the advertisement. When an ad leans too hard on emotions, researchers found, viewers should beware.

The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to announce guidance on the end of its quantitative tightening program later Wednesday. As that process draws to a close, experts are questioning when and how the central bank should use its balance sheet to smooth economic stress in the future.

In an environment of persistent economic unease, banks have a unique opportunity to help small businesses, Sekou Kaalund, U.S. Bank's head of branch and small business banking, said at American Banker's 2025 Small Business Banking conference.

From baby boomers' family needs to the fearlessness of Gen Z, three bank executives discussed the work habits of different age groups at American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Banking conference.

The Trump administration has ordered banking agencies to root out and identify instances of politically motivated debanking while at the same time raising pressure on banks to scrutinize or potentially sever their ties with liberal nonprofit clients. That dynamic creates a compliance puzzle with no obvious answers, experts say.

The two companies are collaborating on making the digital asset private for payroll and other business transactions. While it's unusual, as the most well-known stablecoins are on public ledgers, tech firms are warming to the idea.

CEO Bill Demchak said there seemed to be "some confusion," after PNC's stock fell some 4% on Wednesday.