Fee income

People's Bank of Commerce in southern Oregon decided it had to diversify to survive, so when a director heard a factoring firm he co-founded was up for sale, the bank seized the moment. Now it has other deals in mind.

The acquisition of Coker Capital Advisors would be the fifth nonbank deal for the Cincinnati company in the past year.

Reps. Elijah Cummings and Jimmy Gomez, both Democrats, questioned why B of A would stop offering accounts that are popular with low-income consumers when it stands to reap huge financial benefits from recently passed tax cuts.

Net interest income has surged thanks to rising rates, but noninterest income has lagged as trading revenue has weakened, refi demand has softened and fees from deposit service charges have barely budged. Is this the new normal?

As customers become more tech-savvy, the bank said it no longer needs to prod them to use its digital products by offering discounts. Account holders can avoid fees by enrolling in direct deposit.

Merger- and tax-related charges took a bite out of fourth-quarter profits at the Cleveland company, but its CEO emphasized that a recent deal and tax reform are promising for growth.

Weak loan growth, a $3.25 billion litigation accrual and other costs tied to the phony-accounts saga all added up to a messy fourth quarter for the San Francisco bank.

A number of banks, especially those with extra real estate on their hands, are trying to capitalize on the co-working craze to appeal to fledgling companies that could become success stories — and their customers.

Dueling blockchain stories — one arguing it was virtually useless, the other saying it could change real estate lending — seized the top spots this week, while readers also focused on tax reform aftermath and a key Senate retirement.

SunTrust and First Republic are taking benefits they offer to their workers, such as financial wellness training and student debt repayment, and extending them to corporate clients as benefits they can offer to their own employees. In doing so, they are strengthening relationships with valuable commercial customers.