Banking

The banking company did not say what policy longtime CEO Alan Thian violated, nor has it named a permanent successor. Thian has led RBB since it was founded in 2008.

CEO Jamie Dimon cited elevated risks related to inflation and the war in Ukraine as the nation’s largest bank added $902 million in loan-loss reserves. “Does this represent conservatism in an uncertain macro environment or something more onerous?” one analyst asked.

Theresa Mason will succeed longtime president and chief executive Dennis R. Adams, who announced his plans to retire from the credit union-owned share insurance fund earlier this year.

Mike Roffler, the San Francisco bank’s incoming chief executive, says he’s not shifting strategy. During the first quarter, the company leaned on its mortgage business, where customers moved to lock in refinancings before interest rates rose.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has the legal authority to adjust maximum late fees that issuers may charge. The Consumer Bankers Association predicts the agency will reduce the limits as part of its crackdown on "junk fees" and to soften the impact of inflation on cardholders.

As inflation increases, more companies are shifting to remote and hybrid work to get their costs under control. Landlords could face rising vacancies and tumbling revenue, leaving them behind on loan payments.

The state's Treasurer's office is urging lenders to make loans to cover the steep costs of adoption. Participating credit unions get an extra incentive by being permitted to accept deposits from public institutions — a perk typically enjoyed only by banks.

Banks have supported initiatives aimed at closing the racial equality gap but the industry risks undermining this by fighting new rules to gather demographic data on small-business lending.

The loss was driven by “funding spread widening as well as credit-valuation adjustments relating to both increases in commodities exposures and markdowns of derivatives receivables from Russia-associated counterparties,” the company said. 

California and New York were the first states to require the disclosure of certain pricing information to small-business borrowers. But as Utah, Virginia and other states add regulations for nonbank lenders, a fault line has emerged over the use of annual percentage rates.

Spence, who joined the Cincinnati bank in 2015, will succeed Greg Carmichael as chief executive in July. He says he’ll maintain the company’s current strategic priorities, including regional expansion and digital transformation.

A new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lawsuit claims the credit bureau and the ex-leader of a key unit failed to comply with a 2017 order to stop misleading consumers about credit reporting and monitoring services.

Both credit unions are based in Jacksonville. VyStar is also in the process of buying Heritage Southeast Bank in Jonesboro, Georgia.

The past two weeks have seen a flurry of deals wherein Truist, Capital One and others pitch their brand alongside professional teams and their stadiums.

Chuck Purvis, who has led Coastal as its president and chief executive since 2012, will step down in March of next year.

The key for bankers to stay safe from mystery shoppers using aggressive techniques — many of whom are well funded by community investment pacts with megabanks — is to adhere to proper lending practices 24/7.

Vice President Kamala Harris will announce new steps designed to reduce the cost of federal home loans for Americans saddled with medical debt and make it easier for veterans to have loans forgiven, as part of a White House push to help the millions facing unpaid health care bills.

Higher interest rates are generally helpful to the industry, but they are also leading to unrealized losses in banks’ bond portfolios. Trust banks such as Bank of New York Mellon, State Street and Northern Trust may take relatively large hits when they announce their first-quarter results.

Metaverse aversion, car chargers at Chase branches and more in banking news this week.

Robert Sarver, who is majority owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, will retire from his longtime role on the board of directors of Western Alliance Bancorp. in June, the company said. Sarver and the Suns are being investigated by the National Basketball Association regarding allegations of racism and misogyny within the Suns organization.