Branch banking

The continued investment in branches is a continued investment in bankers. A well-trained, motivated banker turns a physical location into a relationship hub.

Kate Luft, a former chief of staff for Citi CEO Jane Fraser, is now running the company's U.S. retail banking business. In her first interview since getting the job, Luft discussed what banks can learn from airlines and the advantages that incumbents have over fintechs.

CEO Brian Moynihan plans to keep directing some of the bank's excess capital into new market expansions, he said Wednesday. "Organic growth is the reality," given the bank's already dominant U.S. market share, he said.

The modern bank branch is not a museum piece. It is a platform. And in the hands of forward-thinking leaders, it is ready to lead the next era of the banking industry's evolution.

Dime Community Bancshares, which has added dozens of bankers over the past two years, is now ready to consider expanding its geography.

The pending sale of the branches in eastern Pennsylvania to a central New York-based bank comes amid Santander's planned closure of 18 branches this summer and its continued focus on building out a national digital bank.

While Vista Bank is focusing on organic growth in Florida, it's positioning itself as a Texas buyer.

The banking arm of Spanish giant Banco Santander plans to close about 4.5% of its branch network in the United States, according to regulatory filings.

The Ohio-based regional bank is poised to outperform in the second quarter after coming close to "hitting on all cylinders" during the first three months of the year, CEO Steve Steinour said.

Just as two North Carolina universities have dominated college basketball in recent decades, two banks from the Tar Heel state have dominated much of U.S. banking since 1990, turning Florida, especially, into a "banking colony."