Retail & Commercial

Regulatory cooperation is the key to navigating the division of responsibilities that the Dodd-Frank Act made to bank regulation, Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry said Wednesday.

Cullen/Frost Bankers (CFR) in San Antonio posted higher quarterly earnings because of strong loan growth and a securities gain.

With a federal court endangering the status of its director and its second in command leaving, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has suddenly been forced to shift from playing offense to defense.

Earnings at United Bankshares rose 5% from a year earlier to $21.2 million. Earnings of 42 cents a share were 1 cent below analysts' average estimate, according to Bloomberg.

American Express Co. finds itself swirling in the middle of anti-trust litigation and proposed settlements that the company isn't directly a party to.

New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) in Westbury, N.Y., reported earnings that were short of analysts' expectations because a surge in refinancing cut its net interest margin.

HSBC, the $2.7 trillion-asset company, said Wednesday it has named James Comey, a former U.S. deputy attorney general, to its board and formed a new board committee to oversee compliance with laws that aim to deter money laundering and other crimes.

Many of the nation's largest financial institutions lowered their spending on lobbying the federal government in 2012, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. Although data is only available through Dec. 4, 2012, the reports suggest that year-end spending will be down significantly from 2011. That trend may reflect lower expectations for major legislative changes during a presidential election year.

BOK Financial (BOKF) in Oklahoma City reported higher quarterly earnings because of higher mortgage-banking income.

In announcing plans to buy the $2.8 billion-asset Virginia Commerce, United Bankshares has made a deal that will dramatically increase its market share around the nation's capital.