Banking

Junk bonds made Michael Milken the most important and richest person on Wall Street. But they caused many large thrifts to fail. Had he listened to his professors and pursued his Ph.D. in 1970, his legacy might have been different.

Revenues were up for the quarter, but stock compensation-related expenses brought the neobank to a negative net income.

In this week's banking news roundup: Fulton Financial's Angela Snyder announces plans to retire as president of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based bank; Columbia Banking System in Tacoma, Washington, finalizes plans for its latest acquisition; Flagstar Financial opens its first private banking office in Florida; and more.

Slashing capital requirements for the largest banks shows where the Federal Reserve's priorities lie — and it's not with community banks. This will make it even harder for small banks to compete with their larger peers.

We've just lived through a repeat of Operation Chokepoint, the federal effort to deny banking services to disfavored companies and individuals. We must know the full story so it can never happen again.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp and Brookline Bancorp are eyeing a September closing for their merger of equals, to be followed by a phased rollout of the new Beacon Bank & Trust brand.

Coastal Community Bank reported smaller profits in the second quarter as it prepared for a growth spurt. "We think we're winning the right business," said CEO Eric Sprink.

The online lender reached profitability ahead of schedule with a boost in loan volumes and increased its outlook for the year despite macroeconomic uncertainty.

Industry veteran Chris Ward has been tapped to lead the Canadian bank's new U.S. small-business banking department. "It's absolutely a growth opportunity," he said.

In an effort to compete with the vast resources of big banks, credit unions are partnering with fintechs to deliver banking products designed for children.

The New York-based digital-only bank is seeking to partner with more brands after a recent deal opened the way to serving millions of AAA customers.

High interest rates and tough economic conditions played a role in the credit woes that overcame BayFirst Financial's small-dollar lending effort.

Late-payment rates among U.S. borrowers rose again in the second quarter, according to a report from the New York Fed. The trend reflects a sharp increase in student loan delinquencies, which have been climbing as pandemic-era policies have expired.

Last year, scammers tricked 11,000 people — many elderly — to send them money through ATMs for Bitcoin and other crypto. The payments are often irreversible.

New research from American Banker finds that artificial intelligence is growing in use, but trust and regulatory woes still hold many back.

The current system of communicating the terms and conditions of banking services fails everyone. Banks spend enormous resources on compliance theater while customers remain uninformed about their actual rights and risks.

A threat group used physical implants and evasive malware to infiltrate ATM networks and attempt fraudulent withdrawals. Here are their tactics and techniques.

President Trump and his administration have begun to scrap new mortgage lending guidelines that made it easier for home buyers and sellers to dispute property appraisals, finding that homes owned by racial minorities are routinely valued lower than comparable homes with white owners. But despite the promised regulatory relief, many mortgage lenders say the regulatory changes will not impact their lending practices.

Jay Brogdon, currently president of the Arkansas bank, will take the helm at the beginning of next year.

The data shows a sharp uptick in credit union acquisitions of banks, drawing the ire of community bankers as they lobby for credit union taxes.