Banking

Amid high inflation and favorable conditions for job-seekers, several banks hiked their starting wages this year. But even as their labor costs rose, they still found it hard to hang onto employees.

The consensus calls for shrinking collateralized loan obligation volume in 2023, but rewards are said to outweigh the risks.

After years of deliberation and controversy, 2022 will be remembered as the year the global financial system replaced the Libor interest rate benchmark, the last vestiges of which sunset in 2023.

The credit union hired Janell Upton to succeed Chaz Rzewnicki, who left to become CEO of Vibe Credit Union in Michigan.

The bank hired Thomas Geisel to take over as president and chief executive, effective immediately. He succeeds Harry Madonna, who had been interim leader after the ouster of Vernon Hill.

Credit unions announced 15 deals for banks in 2022, surpassing 2021's total — with much of the momentum coming late in the year.

JPMorgan Chase is upping its climate ambitions, announcing a slew of new emissions reductions targets for its financing to carbon-intensive businesses, including airlines and cement manufacturers.

The National Credit Union Administration must extend a program allowing credit unions to offer long-term loans for residential solar power installations.

The state's Department of Financial Services issued proposed guidelines on how banks and mortgage lenders should manage climate-related risks. But the guidance was quickly slammed by a trade group representing community banks.

The interim chief executive, Mark Wilburn, has been with Truity more than 25 years. The outgoing CEO, Dennis Halpin, plans to retire in January.

Rivertown Community Federal Credit Union and Allegan Credit Union in Michigan will join forces in January under their shared boss, Kris Lewis.

The Treasury Department's top official for financial markets and stability expressed little urgency over the federal government's need to prepare for the potential launch of a digital U.S. dollar.

A handful of banks and credit unions with assets under $3 billion each rolled out or expanded its use of distinctive technologies, including a contactless-payment ring.

Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said the bank is "not making rapid progress" and hinted at the possibility of additional restrictions. But analysts saw positives for Wells in the $3.7 billion consent order.

A shareholder group that is pushing the nation's largest banks to conduct racial equity audits criticized JPMorgan Chase's effort, while giving a more favorable review of a Citigroup report. Banks small and large launched racial equity initiatives in 2020 in the wake of protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd.

Recent clashes over how much investors should get paid when borrowers switch to a new benchmark are a small part of a much larger struggle by global regulators to shift markets away from the scandal-tainted London interbank offered rate.

Alabama One said the deal for First Bank of Wadley, a subsidiary of Peoples Independent Bancshares in Boaz, Alabama, would expand its footprint in the eastern part of the state.

Though housing is experiencing severe rate-related stress, mortgage banking remains central to the Denver-based bank's business model. The Texas market has held up better than much of the rest of the country, company executives say.

In a sprawling consent order, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau order cited mismanagement that extended from auto loans to mortgages and deposit accounts. Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf called the agreement a critical milestone to "put these issues behind us."

The National Credit Union Administration must justify its sharply higher operating budget for next year.