Retail & Commercial

Some online banks are offering the highest rate on savings accounts only to new customers. The strategy could suppress deposit costs at a time when the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate increases have begun to put pressure on expenses.

The financial advisory firm cited recent conversations with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., where the current leadership is widely seen as unwelcoming of efforts to open new ILCs.

Walden Mutual in New Hampshire is targeting a mid-November opening after winning final approval for its deposit insurance application from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Prosperity will pay $341.6 million for First Bancshares of Texas and $228.7 million for Lone Star State Bancshares. Both deals are slated to close early next year.

The world's biggest climate-finance alliance has sought to dismiss reports that a number of Wall Street banks are threatening to leave, as it races to bring its house in order in the run-up to next month's COP27 climate summit.

Women focused on environmental, social and governance issues are seeing career opportunities open as sustainable finance initiatives become more critical to a bank's success.

The settlement with an insurer over Countrywide's mortgage-backed securities closes another chapter on what quickly proved to be an ill-advised acquisition for Bank of America. A trial on the case had kicked off last month.

The New York State Department of Financial Services found that the community bank's policies led to minority borrowers paying more for auto loans. Though it did not find evidence of intentional discrimination, the bank agreed to pay a $950,000 fine and restitution.

Amid fears of a recession, industry observers will be on the lookout for signs of distress in credit cards and auto loans. One analyst said "the positive trends we've been seeing are starting to erode, and the pressure is going to start building."

The megabank made its first-ever disclosures about financed emissions in a report aligned with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. "The complexity of this process only served to highlight the critical need for consistent, verified public reporting of emissions and other climate-related data," the bank stated.