Commercial banking

After years of keeping a low profile, banks plan to spend in next year’s elections; the digital currency has eyes on the unbanked.

Capital One agreed to buy KippsDeSanto, a Northern Virginia company that specializes in advice to the defense and government contracting sectors.

Christopher Maher is kicking the tires on an "acquisition of size" that would propel the New Jersey bank across the $10 billion-asset mark.

To combat the notion that regional banks’ tech offerings are inferior, the combined BB&T-SunTrust will have to go “toe-to-toe” with big banks, BB&T chief Kelly King said ahead of shareholder approval of the deal Tuesday.

Other executives are being considered, too, but the list is dwindling as JPMorgan’s Gordon Smith and other big names are said to be out of the running. Meanwhile, senior Wells executives have pushed to keep interim CEO Allen Parker.

SunTrust, the lender merging with BB&T, said it won't provide future financing to companies that manage private prisons and immigration holding facilities.

The decision follows similar moves by rivals JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo.

The New York bank has recruited a dozen commercial lenders from PacWest, Wells Fargo and other rivals, continuing its shift away from its historic reliance on multifamily lending.

Community bankers want to cut the time it takes for customers to establish digital accounts to mere minutes, but it's hard to do that and make other improvements without increasing fraud risk.

Last year, CEO Darryl White said his goal was for U.S. operations to account for one-third of the bank's earnings in three to five years. It was a matter of months before the goal was reached.