Retail & Commercial

The year's biggest storylines included an M&A revival, a reexamination of overdraft fees, a changing of the guard in Washington and the rise of new technologies. Here's a look back.

PNC, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Citi have all introduced automated projections for commercial clients in recent months. Fintechs that cater to small businesses had pioneered the niche.

The Alabama bank is buying Clearsight Advisors to add to its booming capital markets division.

The Arkansas bank is working with 10 universities' athletic departments to create programs for women it hopes will one day join its ranks.

Worker shortages at call centers and rising concerns about account fees may have contributed to the industrywide decline, according to the authors of a new J.D. Power study. Capital One, which scored highest, benefited from its strength in digital banking.

The Pennsylvania bank run by Sam Sidhu is updating its platform to support real-time payments for cryptocurrency companies and will offer embedded finance and banking-as-a-service to fintechs.

The Louisiana-based Home has agreed to pay $66.6 million for the $445 million-asset bank.

FNB Bank in the hard-hit community of Mayfield lost its headquarters during the catastrophic storms. It and other financial institutions are aiding local residents who are now taking stock of the damage.

Asenso Finance and a community development financial institution, the National Asian American Coalition, have developed a loan aimed at borrowers with limited credit histories. The underwriting relies in part on alternative data and borrowers are required to take financial literacy courses.

The Biden administration faces a growing backlash on social media for refusing to further extend a moratorium on student loan payments.