Retail & Commercial

Horizon Bancorp in Michigan City, Ind., has restructured its balance sheet to improve its margins and financial returns.

CenterState Banks in Winter Haven, Fla., has agreed to buy Gateway Financial Holdings of Florida in Daytona Beach.

Anthony Labozzetta, CEO of Sussex Bancorp in New Jersey, isn't afraid of change. His unusual approach to banking helped Sussex emerge from the financial crisis with momentum. Now he's building a branch model that could serve as a blueprint for growth-minded banks.

You'd rather have a heart surgeon who has done a lot of bypasses than a novice, right? Perhaps the same thinking should apply to commercial lenders, according to several university researchers challenging the orthodoxy that making too many of the same kind of loans can only spell doom.

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin's plan to remove Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government control could mean increased competition for lenders' loans. But it could also prompt a rise in mortgage rates.

Some banks are set to get a fourth-quarter earnings boost from their MSR portfolios, thanks to a sudden spike in yields on Treasury bonds. Add to that the prospect of further rate hikes and the potential dismantling of Basel III, and more banks could be encouraged to re-enter the servicing business.

Several non-U.S. core systems providers are trying to make American banks their clients, but they still face challenges penetrating an entrenched marketplace.

The decisions by JPMorgan Chase, Fifth Third and other banks to keep subprime auto lending in check look wise after new delinquency data from the New York Fed.

NewDominion Bank created a new slogan and marketing campaign to target younger prospects and newcomers to Charlotte, N.C. Only time will tell if the effort will succeed and help the bank survive on its own.

Consumers' providing bank credentials to third-party services is akin to handing over their house keys. To mitigate screen-scraping risks, banks and fintech companies must first address issues related to security, transparency and control.