Economy

Bank of the Ozarks recently dissolved its holding company in a move that goes against modern banking strategy. There are, however, strong arguments for other institutions to follow the bank's lead.

New data shows that large commercial banks are increasing their originations of single-family construction loans, but these loans still represent a small percentage of their total assets.

When the U.S. withdrew from the Paris Agreement, business leaders across the country called on the private sector to step up their own efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ultimately limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. From new corporate governance practices to energy efficient upgrades, here’s a look at some of the ways the banking sector is combating climate change.

It’s not speed, which will steadily if not exponentially increase in the near term. It’s the centralists that are holding onto their roles as reconcilers of data.

The procedures manual follows other steps the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has taken to try to clarify its process for evaluating charter bids.

The region is responsible for a third of all bank sellers — and more than half of the industry's overall deal volume.

On March 31, 2017. Dollars in thousands

On March 31, 2017. Dollars in thousands

On March 31, 2017. Dollars in thousands

There is too much customer and regulatory inertia for banks’ business model to become irrelevant overnight. The real danger is banks will fade out of the picture over time.

With traditional mortgage lending opportunities becoming increasingly scarce, banks in Seattle and Portland are loading up on jumbos, diving into multifamily and reviving dormant bridge loan programs.

Green Bancorp has pivoted from the troubled energy-lending market to SBA loans, which are appealing to more small banks because they can be sold at a premium and are getting more support from Washington.

Apologies to those yearning for escapism, but it is hard to escape turmoil — in financial services, in the economy and in civilization — in this year’s reading list. That said, these weighty topics promise to stimulate the mind: How AI will disrupt employment; dystopian imaginings and real-life histories of societal shifts; the necessity of collaboration; bitcoin’s path from obscurity to relevance; the need for leaders to make sacrifices; and more. Recommendations are courtesy of American Banker readers, editorial staff and BankThink contributors.

Enabling peers to compare notes will help ID management specialists at regional, midtier banks who face the same requirements as large banks but command smaller operating budgets, IDPro’s founder says.

It may be a bigger challenge than financial institutions realize to avoid the cannabis sector, which includes a whole host of ancillary businesses from agricultural supply sellers to real estate developers.

Readers criticized a credit union securitization proposal, weighed in on scaling back the CFPB’s complaint database, debated the need for banks to examine gender-based salary comparisons, and more.

While overall activity remains slow, sellers — particularly those flush with core deposits — are fetching premiums not seen in years.

Lindsey Argalas will push innovation throughout the Spanish bank and encouraging collaboration across businesses and markets.

Bank of America plans to lift its dividend above a level that Warren Buffett said would compel him to convert preferred shares into the lender's common stock.

The largest banks announced plans to distribute capital back to shareholders after the Fed gave passing grades to everyone following this year’s CCAR stress tests.