Retail & Commercial

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and other institutions — including more than two-thirds of honorees that made the Best Banks to Work For — show no let-up in their commitment to add transitioning service personnel. In fact, they're expanding their reach to include military spouses.

Highly acquisitive banks that pack on assets without sacrificing employee morale pepper American Banker's annual Best Banks to Work For rankings.

The CEO of Seattle-based Washington Federal says Luther Burbank Corp. was an attractive acquisition target because it offers an entree into California and has a commercial lending operation that could follow WaFd's recipe for growth over the past decade.

After a Texas bank settled allegations by the Department of Justice, experts were split about the extent of the exposure for banks and fintechs that took part in the pandemic-era program.

Inconsistent rules for calculating bank capital threaten to cut off small banks from a key source of liquidity.

The Seattle bank's all-stock deal for Luther Burbank Corp. is expected to close as soon as the second quarter of 2023.

The quickly shifting deposit picture — an effect of the Federal Reserve's rapid interest rate increases — is prompting many banks to raise rates to prevent depositors from leaving. Several institutions saw their loan-to-deposit ratios jump above 100% during the third quarter.

The ruling means that a lower court's pro-consumer decision cannot be used as a precedent in other litigation. Consumer advocates had hoped the case would make it more difficult for debt buyers in North Carolina to file a large volume of lawsuits, which often lead to default judgments against borrowers.

Spencer Savings in New Jersey is taking investor Larry Seidman to court, alleging he's conspiring with other customers to convert the bank to stock ownership. Seidman says it's a farce: "I'm in a conspiracy with people I don't know."

A new debit card for military veterans, Google expands a billing test and more in banking news this week.