Banking

Arkansas Federal Credit Union in Little Rock launched a branded calling solution in June through a partnership with First Orion, also based in Little Rock. It has helped reduce declined calls by 21%.

The deal for SimplyBank, scheduled to be completed in the second quarter, would give First Financial in Terre Haute, Indiana, additional branches in Tennessee and its first presence in Georgia.

Executives reflecting on the issues that doomed three banks say the closures stressed the importance of adapting quickly to change, and emphasized the advantages of the credit union business model.

The future of financial services lies in collaboration between big banks and fintech, not conflict.

Bankers should stop thinking of small companies as difficult to serve, Comerica's Brian Haney says; "How does succeeding in small business make the retail bank stronger?"

American Banker is proud to recognize the honorees for the second annual Most Powerful Women in Credit Unions.

The bank was recently sued by customers who say they were misled into thinking that their savings accounts were earning competitive rates. Capital One responded with a series of arguments for why the case should be thrown out.

Since the end of the Small Business Administration's 2022 fiscal year, the average loan size in its flagship program has dropped more than six figures. The addition of three new nondepository lenders could further drive down this figure.

Small Business Administration lending is an arena where community banks and nonbanks compete favorably with some of the largest U.S. financial institutions. Here are the biggest SBA 7(a) lenders based on the value of approved loans.

A recent effort by Citigroup to nudge certain customers toward digital-only statements was well intended but too punitive, observers say. The key, they argue, for banks seeking to cut costs or achieve other goals is to offer incentives to those with ingrained habits.

Small business clients are important to financial institutions and expected to drive growth. But to achieve that, banks must teach them to be stronger consumers.

The bank is adding fintech-style buy now/pay later lending to other recent payment upgrades at its merchant acquiring unit.

But high costs and any downturn in the economy could weigh on lenders and their commercial borrowers in coming months, economists caution.

City National Bank has tapped Howard Hammond, a 17-year veteran of Fifth Third Bancorp, as CEO of the Los Angeles-based bank, replacing Kelly Coffey, who will move to a newly-created role as CEO of the bank's entertainment unit.

In addition to expense-reduction measures, the Wisconsin-based regional bank is selling almost $2 billion of mortgages and securities and will invest in its lending and deposit-gathering capabilities.

The Wyoming bank has launched its signature service, amid a legal tug-of-war with the Federal Reserve.

Superintendent Harris led the takeover of Signature Bank after it failed this spring. She joins Editor-in-Chief Chana Schoenberger to reflect on the lessons of this year's banking crisis, and how she is modernizing supervision.

Flagstar Bank promotes newly hired Jason Birnbaum; Finstar Financial tops $1billion-asset threshold with acquisition of Sitgler; digital platform Bluevine launches checking account for high balances; and more in the weekly banking news roundup.

Banks across the spectrum of size and location serve small businesses — but they all do it differently. At American Banker's Small Biz Banking 2023 conference in Nashville from November 13-15, banks of all sizes will come together to share ideas, learn from experts and hear from bankers in the field who are doing it best. 

The Cincinnati-based bank, which purchased a solar lender last year, is facing an investigation from 17 state attorneys general over the acquired company's lending practices and contractor network. One solar panel installer has gone bankrupt and faced complaints across the country.