Banking

At American Banker's Small Biz Banking conference, bankers said they are throwing community events, working with local nonprofits and trying to turn lending decisions from "no" to "yes."

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.

Using a local beach as a canvas for its billboard — which vanishes as the tide comes in — the bank is drawing attention to how customers' financial choices can affect the environment.

The top four have over one hundred million dollars in combined total loans and leases.

The bank claims it has migrated all traffic from third-party apps and services to its secure API.

The Pittsburgh-based parent of First National Bank of Pennsylvania plans to close its $117 million buyout of UB Bancorp in December.

The Hauppauge, New York, institution plans to take advantage of its open charter that allows anyone in the U.S. to join after several years of building out its infrastructure to support a national business. Bankers decried the move as further overreach by the credit union industry.

The industry must adapt quickly to the changing preferences of entrepreneurs and the innovation of nonbanks such as PayPal and Square, according to speakers at American Banker's Small Biz Banking Conference. Traditional players such as U.S. Bancorp and Comerica say they're making the necessary investments.

American Express is ending a requirement that employees need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter offices as virus cases decline globally.

WaFd Bank is benefiting from strong demand for real estate development loans, even in the face of rising interest rates. It's looking for ways to slow growth to maintain its capital levels, CEO Brent Beardall says.

Citigroup plans to offer automatic-sweep products seven days a week as banks respond to clients' demands for higher interest rates on deposits and faster access to their cash.

Daniel D. Robb of Jonesburg State Bank takes over as chairman of the American Bankers Association, which elected officers and board members for 2022-23 at its annual convention.

KServicing, a SoftBank-backed small-business loan servicer, filed for bankruptcy after the company, which holds old loans made by the online lender Kabbage, was weighed down by allegations of overly lax lending under the U.S. government's Paycheck Protection Program.

Analysts are watching to see if more lenders join the ranks of First Northwest in Washington state and Orrstown Financial Services in Pennsylvania, which laid off staff or closed branches to offset rising wages and other expenses.

In a report published Tuesday, the nonprofit Finance Watch estimates that the 60 largest global banks have about $1.35 trillion of credit exposures to fossil fuel assets.

HSBC Holdings is exploring a sale of its operations in Canada, the latest move to streamline the lender that is seeking to head off a call by its largest shareholder to split up.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce named Chief Risk Officer Shawn Beber as the new head of its U.S. division and tapped Susan Rimmer to lead the company's global corporate and investment banking franchise.

Centric named Rodney Parker as its new CEO. He succeeds Chris Craighead, who retired after 30 years as the credit union's leader.