Corporate finance

Citizens Financial, Regions and SunTrust reported strong gains in consumer banking, including loans made through partnerships with retailers and fintech lenders. They want to keep it up to compensate for slack in commercial lending.

The dark cloud that was the lost Costco card portfolio didn't garner a mention during the American Express 2017 fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday — the first time in many quarters that this was the case.

The Providence, R.I., company’s results included a $317 million tax benefit as well as growth in mortgages, education and unsecured retail loans.

Regions also saw significant increases in its point-of-sale consumer lending, even though overall loans were slightly down from 2016.

The new tax law helped boost fourth-quarter results at SunTrust Banks in Atlanta, while the recent rate hikes led to gains in spread income.

Buying Capital Bank Financial helped boost revenue by 17% in the fourth quarter, but one-time charges related to recent tax cuts dragged down the Memphis company's profits.

The Seante looks to forge its own path on GSE reform, breaking to the right of a plan from the FHFA; a new candidate to lead the CFPB emerges as its current director tells the Fed, "Thanks, we're good on funding."

It was thought tax cuts could fuel a rise in bank deals, but regionals seem to be leaning toward digesting what they have already bought, pursuing smaller, nonbank deals and rewarding shareholders.

The Arkansas company has spent two years trying to reassure nervous investors and analysts that it can rapidly book real estate loans using conservative practices.

The Los Angeles company said earnings fell 2% in the quarter as strong loan growth was offset by costs tied to its acquisition of CU Bancorp as well as a loss on the sale of a securities portfolio.

The Arkansas company's earnings fell 52% from a year earlier, reflecting a higher provision, a revaluation of its deferred tax asset and higher costs following a series of bank acquisitions.

BNY Mellon plowed some of its tax law savings into restructuring efforts.

Highlights at the North Carolina bank included deposit service charges, CRE lending and wider margins, which all offset one-time costs related to tax reform.

The Buffalo-based company donated a record $50 million to its charitable foundation to honor its former CEO Robert Wilmers, who passed away in late 2017.

Merger- and tax-related charges took a bite out of fourth-quarter profits at the Cleveland company, but its CEO emphasized that a recent deal and tax reform are promising for growth.

Bank says most of the benefits from tax reform will be used for dividends and buybacks; Michael Loughlin will stay on until his replacement is named later this year.

A large writedown on its portfolio of taxi medallion loans marred an otherwise strong fourth quarter for Signature Bank in New York.

The Mississippi company reported strong loan growth, even as it reduced exposure to energy-related borrowers. Higher revenue also helped Hancock lower its efficiency ratio.

Executives at U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America plan to use their tax savings to ramp up spending on new technology to stay competitive — but they sought to reassure investors that they would not abandon cost control.

Total loans rose 3% at the Minneapolis bank, but its net interest margin climbed 10 basis points. It also booked a one-time accounting gain of $910 million related to tax reform.