Deposits

Top industry executives said this week that price increases are abating, even if they haven't yet fully abated. Their remarks reflect increased confidence that the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady — or perhaps even cut them — in the first half of 2024.

Los Angeles-based City National Bank recorded a $247 million loss during a tumultuous final quarter of its fiscal year. But executives at the bank's Canadian parent company say they expect a return to profitability in the first quarter.

The Champaign, Illinois-based company said it would pay $41.6 million to acquire Merchants and Manufacturers Bank Corp., which has five branches in the Greater Chicago area.

Shifting from earlier plans, the FDIC has established a special committee to investigate allegations of harassment and a toxic workplace culture at the agency. It will be led by directors Jonathan McKernan and Michael Hsu and may include as many as three nonvoting members from outside the agency.

Bankers are hopeful that several factors could strengthen profits next year, including higher loan demand and more stable funding costs as the Fed holds the line on — or even lowers — interest rates.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has finalized a special assessment that is slightly pricier than originally proposed for banks with uninsured deposits of more than $5 billion. Trade groups voiced concerns that the largest banks are paying to clean up a mess created by regional banks.

Bank failures last spring forced many startup businesses to shift where they store their cash. JPMorgan Chase appears to be the top beneficiary, but other banks say they are just as eager to reel in deposits and do more business with the innovation economy.

The bank was recently sued by customers who say they were misled into thinking that their savings accounts were earning competitive rates. Capital One responded with a series of arguments for why the case should be thrown out.

Longtime customers of Capital One's online banking arm thought they were getting the best possible rate, according to a lawsuit. Little did they realize, they say, that they needed to open a new account in order to benefit from interest rate increases.