Retail & Commercial

Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) in Little Rock, Ark., got an earnings boost ahead of its acquisition of a Houston bank.

Voice activation could give consumers increased visibility into their accounts and keep them connected to their bank.

Bond Street Holdings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., seems to have dodged the curse of the canceled bank deal.

The chief risk officer of Ameriana Bancorp (ASBI) in New Castle, Ind., is retiring.

Republic Bancorp (RBCAA) in Louisville, Ky., fell well short of analysts' expectations after it slogged through legal disputes with some business partners.

M&T Bank (MTB) reported fourth-quarter earnings well short of analysts' estimates, capping a challenging year in which regulatory troubles led to spiraling costs.

Webster Financial (WBS) in Waterbury, Conn., reported lower fourth-quarter profit after taking a big charge tied to the Volcker Rule.

Comerica (CMA) in Dallas posted higher fourth-quarter earnings because of fewer chargeoffs and a smaller loan-loss provision.

Capital One Financial (COF) keeps waiting for its U.S. credit-card holders to become comfortable with a bit more debt. It's been a long delay, and one that will likely continue well into 2014.

The two primary functions of banking should be to take deposits and to make loans; all other services should be supplementary to these two primary activities.