Commercial real estate lending

Big increases in construction and commercial real estate lending boosted revenue at the Kansas City, Mo., company.

The company wants a big deal to help push it over $50 billion of assets, at which point it will be considered systematically important.

To succeed, the Tennessee company must build on momentum created by BNC, the bank it just agreed to buy.

Commercial real estate loan growth and the Hudson City acquisition fueled fourth-quarter profit growth at M&T Bank in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Pittsburgh company was aided by high-single-digit organic loan growth in addition to an acquisition that was completed in February.

Three midsize banks projected increases in loans this year in the latest round of earnings discussions, but their levels of optimism varied, and their commercial lending strategies in some cases conflicted.