Amazon's voice assistant will soon be in cars and even microwaves, but banks have not yet proven to customers they can serve them with conversational tech.

"Normal system upgrade" knocks out SunTrust's online- and mobile-banking ops; "just a matter of time" before Amazon, Google enter mortgages; Wells Fargo looking for Tim Sloan's replacement?; and more from this week's most-read stories.

Several hard realities, including legacy technology and the pace of change in software and apps, leave firms vulnerable to outages that stir public outcry.

Julie Demarigny will be in charge of mobile and online strategies at the San Francisco bank.

The Atlanta bank warned that some customers may experience intermittent access. A routine system upgrade gone awry caused the problem.

Carey Halio, who becomes CEO of Goldman Sachs Bank USA next month, wants to sustain its drive for consumer deposits and add products that make it more of a primary bank for customers.

The bank chalked up its outage to "a normal system upgrade that experienced technical difficulty."

Halio has served as chief financial officer of Goldman Sachs Bank USA for the past four years, and she previously worked in the company’s credit risk division

A sluggish business climate and few M&A opportunities freed up midsize banks to invest in better tech systems and services, says Regions Chairman Grayson Hall.

SynapseFI is engineering banking to work as digital parts that connect so easily an amateur developer could potentially build a functioning bank.

Small banks and credit unions are searching for a high-tech edge over big-name financial institutions, and Amy Gililland at the technology firm Kasasa says it’s a goal that is within sight.

Acquiring fintechs can be a smart way for banks to access needed tech talent, but they must be careful not to stifle innovation in the merger.

The app allows customers to pick and choose the right private banker for them.

Using software from Eastern Bank spinoff Numerated, Bremer Bank says it will be able to approve automated loans to farmers within a minute.

Some are relying on a national, digital strategy. Others say the right balance of costs and growth comes from more traditional means such as targeted branch openings and out-of-market expansion.

Varo Money just received conditional approval from the OCC. Now it has to raise capital, create a CRA plan and get a go-ahead from the FDIC.

A family-owned community bank in Oklahoma is testing a Spotify-like service by fintech Meed that allows customers to pay $9.95 a month to obtain digital banking services.

Casey Crawford, CEO of Movement Mortgage, bought First State Bank in Virginia last year. He has since injected more capital into the bank in an effort to reinvent it.

Dawn Morris, formerly of Webster Financial, will also oversee marketing and customer experience.

Acquiring fintechs can be a smart way for banks to access needed tech talent, but they must be careful not to stifle innovation in the merger.