Retail & Commercial

Now that the Federal Reserve has raised short-term rates four times in the past 18 months, all eyes are on deposit costs as banks seek to keep pricing low and fatten margins. But that effort is complicated by the fact that banks must prepare for the unwinding of the Fed's balance sheet and consumers' rapid adoption of mobile deposits.

Call-center workers at Santander Consumer USA, concerned about what they deem aggressive collections tactics, are looking to unionize with the help of some big names on Capitol Hill.

A double-digit increase in the size of the Connecticut company's commercial book factored heavily into its improved second-quarter results.

The size of the Louisiana company's loan portfolio increased by 6% from a year earlier, helping offset weaker noninterest income.

The Rhode Island bank plans to build out its fee income capabilities, expand C&I lending in the Southeast, renegotiate vendor contracts and take other steps to produce expense cuts and revenue enhancements of at least $90 million.

The Cincinnati company reaped the benefit of the latest round of interest rate hikes, as a higher net interest margin and lower costs helped overcome the drop in lending.

Piecemeal settlement through mandatory arbitration masks widespread misconduct like Wells Fargo’s fake-accounts scandal. Class actions bring such systemic abuses to light, and should always be an option for consumer redress.

Increased dealings in direct consumer lending and guaranteed student loans offset a decline in mortgage-related income. A lower loan-loss provision also helped the bottom line.

Readers question acting comptroller Noreika, weigh in on SoFi’s charter application, defend Trump’s exit from the Paris Accord, and more.

But the Connecticut company says the efficiencies of its recent acquisition of Suffolk Bancorp will begin to be realized soon.