Retail & Commercial

Strong gains in low-cost health savings account balances helped fuel loan growth at the Waterbury, Conn., company.

A Trump administration budget proposal to end federal funding for community development financial institutions would push small businesses to high-risk, high-cost lenders.

Working primarily with community banks, Promontory Local Credit will provide second-lien loans to small firms, potentially increasing their available credit by 50%.

The Atlanta company's profits rose on stronger net interest income and investment banking income as well as a tax maneuver.

The U.S. trucking industry has benefited from key improvements in fuel-payments technology, with streamlined mobile apps from the likes of WEX and Comdata steadily replacing clunky, older paper-and-plastic fleet card programs for buying fuel, services and lodging on the road.

The Wisconsin regional's profits rose 35% in the first quarter on healthy loan growth, wider margins and an improved efficiency ratio, and it said its "satisfactory" CRA rating had been restored.

Executives at BB&T, KeyCorp and Citizens are milking commercial lending niches and balancing cost control with new investments while waiting for more rate hikes to fatten margins.

Banks have long believed that the key to sparking mobile payments is better incentives, but U.S. Bank is taking that to the extreme with a new product that pays triple points for such purchases.

Mariner Kemper, UMB's chief executive, said he struggled with the decision to sell Scout Investments to Raymond James. Selling made more sense than pumping more capital into the beleaguered business.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has given preliminary conditional approval for Winter Park National Bank, allowing organizers to work on office space, hire staff and raise capital.