Retail & Commercial

UBS Group AG decided to end an agreement with the Swiss government to cover losses it could incur from the rescue of Credit Suisse, a sign that the mammoth integration is on track and the stricken lender's assets might be less troublesome than initially feared.

In his new book, "The Song of Significance," Seth Godin, a business management author, dives into how executives can rethink being profit driven and help create meaning in the work for employees.

"Smart" contracts enable the Chicago-based trust bank to carry out deals without intermediaries, while archiving details on transactions that can be useful later. Experts say other banks could follow despite the complexities of cutting-edge technology and the risk of being hacked.

The company is rolling out a special-purpose credit program to help address what it describes as "the biggest barriers to achieving homeownership." Such programs are gaining popularity among banks.

After eight years leading one of the nation's most prominent Black banks, Michael Pugh will become chief executive of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

Citizens Bank of Edmond in Oklahoma, in conjunction with the digital-banking platform Narmi, recently launched an account-opening process that occurs completely online. The project, completed in less than three months, could be a model for community banks that want to innovate but fear being a low priority for vendors.

During the recent banking crisis, both businesses and wealth management clients moved their money out of banks. Commercial deposits have since recovered, but those in wealth accounts continue to decline amid fierce competition from both inside and outside the banking system.

The Wilmington, Delaware, bank announced this week that it had purchased Bell Rock Capital. WSFS' management says that legal troubles involving that investment advisory firm's founder won't affect the transaction.

The $1.6 billion-asset company said in a press release Wednesday that its directors "voted to terminate" Kevin Lycklama's employment. Dan Cox, chief credit officer, was named as acting president and CEO.

The deal with private equity firm KKR follows an earlier announced sale of $1.3 billion in medical office loans. The Columbus, Georgia-based company has said it's "proactively optimizing the balance sheet" to position itself for long-term growth.