Deposits

The California bank, which was hit hard by last month's banking crisis, has partially rebuilt its deposit base. It reported a first-quarter loss, but one that was smaller than some analysts expected.

CEO Rajinder Singh said battered competitors are "throwing off" both talent and customers, creating a chance for the Miami Lakes, Florida, bank to pick up new business.

Federal officials should have protected both banks' uninsured depositors by following the law's carefully designed framework for dealing with failures of systemically important banks.

The San Francisco bank, on shaky ground after two regional peers failed last month, said that customers pulled more than 40% of their deposits last quarter. It's been forced to turn to more expensive sources of funding, which analysts said will squeeze its profitability.

The Dallas-based company is intentionally shedding certain deposit relationships that don't align with its new business model. Total quarterly deposits fell 12.6% year over year, but they rose 1% after excluding the relationships targeted for reduction, according to the bank.

Main Street companies, particularly those owned by women and minorities, depend on the flexibility of community and regional banks for their survival.

The Birmingham, Alabama, bank said that its deposits fell by $3.3 billion last quarter, and it projected a decrease of up to $2 billion between April and June. Executives assured investors that sizable liquidity sources are available.

A study published after last month's crisis finds that banks can guard against rate-driven deposit outflows by keeping more liquid funds available. It also concludes that financial institutions with higher rates of uninsured deposits are more likely to face bank runs.

The regional bank started making moves to protect deposits last year, which prevented steeper declines during a volatile first quarter, CEO Tim Spence says.

The Dallas-based bank expects some of the recent deposit outflows to return in the future.