Retail & Commercial

Beth Mooney at Key and Joseph Ficalora at New York Community Bancorp recently upset shareholders with big acquisitions. Industry observers believe investors should slowly warm up to deals as a strategic alternative to generous dividends and share buybacks.

Raj Date, the consumer bureau's former deputy director, said Thursday regulators need to be flexible, responsive and use discretion when it comes to dealing with financial technology startups.

Dave McKay, the president and CEO of Royal Bank of Canada, has spent much of his time as head of the second-largest Canadian bank plotting the acquisition of the coveted $36 billion-asset City National in Los Angeles. Now he has to execute on a strategy of cross-selling products to affluent customers of both banks while expanding geographically.

Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $81.6 million to settle a federal investigation into its alleged failure to properly notify homeowners of increases in their mortgage payments.

As oil and gas prices keep sliding, banks with large energy loan books are doing what they can to manage ever-increasing risk. It's not just about reducing exposure; many are also working closely with oil, gas and other energy clients to help them raise capital or boost cash flow. Here's a sampling what bankers said on third-quarter earnings calls about the state of their energy books and what, in some cases, they are doing to prevent clients from defaulting on their loans.

TCF Financial faces a potential lawsuit from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over the way the Wayzata, Minn., company charges overdraft fees.

Fannie Mae will pay the U.S. Treasury Department $2.2 billion after reporting a net income of $2 billion for the third quarter.

WSB Bancshares in Wellington, Texas, has agreed to buy XIT Bancshares in Littlefield, Texas.

The relevant question is no longer whether new regulations will come for the fast-growing industry, but what form they should take.

Financial institutions have been traditionally been more interested in bitcoin's underlying technology than in the virtual currency, but the maturation of cryptocurrency has led USAA to partner with a bitcoin wallet provider to serve the institution's mobile customer base.