Banking

The bank's AI-based virtual assistant, which began development 10 years ago, is now used by 42 million customers and more than 200,000 employees. It does everything from sending wire transfers to unlocking corporate phones.

The regional bank recorded $130 million of legal charges during the fourth quarter in connection with the resolution of a legal battle involving overdraft fees. Its earnings also took a hit from $63 million in employee severance costs.

Though fourth-quarter net charge-offs reached a level not seen since the financial crisis, the Little Rock, Arkansas-based regional bank is forecasting better results in 2026 and an even stronger recovery in 2027.

The Providence, Rhode Island-based bank has steadily revamped certain parts of its strategy. Now, it will update its systems for serving customers.

The bank technology seller's deal with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company is an opportunity to cash in on a government initiative to reduce cash — and comes on the heels of an earnings miss. Plus, Klarna plans to offer more credit options through a partnership with Walmart-backed OnePay, Revolut embraces agentic AI protocols and more in American Banker's global payments and fintech roundup.

The future of banking will see core bank systems rebuilt around artificial intelligence tools that inform decisions about everything from underwriting to compliance. Banks must begin the transition now.

The payment company is betting on agentic commerce to get its checkout tech in front of more merchants and consumers.

The Minneapolis-based regional saw its fourth-quarter profits jump 23%. Consumer deposits bumped up, while operating expenses remained muted.

A New Jersey courier scam highlights the severe liability risks consumers face when using debit cards compared to credit cards.

In the 11 months after Fifth Third completes its acquisition of Comerica, the Cincinnati bank plans to send 13 million-to-14 million pieces of paper mail to retail customers. CEO Tim Spence says the old-fashioned method "still works," and actually has some advantages over more modern modes of communication.

The Cleveland-based bank announced changes Tuesday to its board of directors, including the appointment of a new lead independent director. Last month, activist investor HoldCo Asset Management urged the bank's board to not re-nominate its longtime lead independent director.

The newly launched digital credit union, CineFi, aims to serve creative professionals in the Atlanta area as well as First Entertainment's existing member base in Los Angeles.

Howard Green's new book Gimme a Crisis offers a deep dive into the former Scotiabank CEO's career, from bringing the NBA to Toronto to navigating 2008.

A significant majority of Americans are now living lives of permanent financial stress, and debt delinquency is on the rise. For bankers, that's a recipe for problems with profitability, and perhaps with safety and soundness.

The payments firm is hoping that planting a flag in merchant stablecoin payments now will be accretive as stablecoins gain greater adoption.

MUFG Securities Americas is designated a primary dealer by the New York Fed; Founders Bank appoints Chris Lipscomb its senior vice president and chief lending officer; the Independent Community Bankers of America names Charles Yi senior executive vice president of government relations; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The Huntsville, Alabama-based regional bank is well positioned to defend its Southeast footprint, according to CEO John Turner. It's hiring more bankers in growth markets, it has strong brand recognition and it has a long history in its core markets, he said.

During the fourth quarter, the Buffalo, New York-based bank reported its lowest ratio of nonperforming loans to total loans since 2007.

Data collected by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors demonstrates a huge disparity in compliance costs between large and small banks. Policymakers in Washington who claim to support community banks must act to reduce regulatory burden.