Retail & Commercial

Banc of California, the lender that's paying $100 million to sponsor a soccer stadium, rose in early trading Wednesday after moving up its quarterly earnings release following a report by an anonymous short seller that caused the shares to plunge a day earlier.

Its loan-loss provision increased largely due to energy-related loans, but Hancock Holding in Gulfport, Miss., still reported higher third-quarter profits. Lower expenses and an increase in lending for healthcare, equipment finance and mortgages were the main reasons.

First Tennessee Bank in Memphis has recruited a quartet of executives for its expanding specialty banking lines that serve the franchising, healthcare, music, and transportation industries.

Profits at Fulton Financial in Lancaster, Pa., surged 21% in the third quarter compared with a year earlier thanks largely to robust fee income growth and tight expense control.

Remember how commercial and industrial lending was a hot item in the first half of the year? Not anymore. Blame election-year blues and a regulatory crackdown on CRE, regional bank executives said. The good news is that the hand-wringing over energy lending has largely subsided and banks are taking advantage of new opportunities in specialty lending.

Two San Francisco supervisors on Tuesday introduced a resolution that would "end all business with Wells Fargo," in response to the fake account scandal and other practices that have harmed consumers.

CenterState Banks in Davenport, Fla., has agreed to buy Platinum Bank Holding Company in Brandon, Fla., in a $83.9 million cash-and-stock deal.

The investment bank will take "a very deliberate and methodical approach" to building its online lending platform, Chief Financial Officer Harvey Schwartz told investors Tuesday, implicitly drawing a contrast to once-highflying startups like Lending Club and Propser.

Recent moves by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, including a plan to regulate payday lending, take away what limited credit options consumers have.

Attendees at this year's American Bankers Association conference are fixated on the election, fintech competition and banking's changing landscape. While optimistic, many are still wondering where their industry is headed.