Fee income

Consolidation of midsize firms in health care and other industries is expected to heat up in 2019. That’s welcome news to banks that have recently acquired boutique M&A advisory firms.

Woodforest National Bank made so many C&I loans that it cut into capital and required more liquidity. It has shifted gears, selling two business lines as it refocuses on deposit gathering.

Mexico's Senate leader Ricardo Monreal said he'll seek a vote on his bill cutting bank fees in the spring session starting next month.

CEO Greg Carmichael says the Cincinnati bank will hire bankers in Denver, Dallas and Houston as part of a broader expansion into fast-growing markets that are home to lots of midsize firms. It is also interested in buying more fee-based businesses.

The Dallas company beat earnings estimates even as it reported declines in deposits, total loans and fee income.

One bank's push to use Ripple's XRP in cross-border payments; LendUp spins off credit card business, names new CEO; a worrisome resurgence of rivalry among the banking agencies; and more from this week's most-read stories.

Two trends — competition from challenger banks and the emergence of real-time payments — threaten to eat away at the fees banks collect on overdrafts and bounced checks.

This may be “the first wave” of managers being held accountable for the phony accounts scandal; high prices discouraging cross-border acquisitions.

CFO John Gerspach said he's not worried about legislation in Mexico to ban retail banking fees becoming law based on recent comments by the nation's president.

Speaking at an investor conference Wednesday, John Turner said that sellers’ asking prices are too high and that Regions would prefer to buy a nonbank that could help boost fee income.