Fee income

The deal for Trinity Capital in Los Angeles would further strengthen the company's capital markets capabilities.

The company agreed to acquire Alliance Benefit Group of Illinois, which has more than 600 clients and 40,000 plan participants.

Fourth-quarter fees earned from managing the assets of family offices rose 12% and were a powerful counterbalance to tighter margins.

A tough fourth quarter seemed to foreshadow challenges in the year ahead for the nation’s fifth-largest bank.

A 10% cut next year, which will be identical to the fee reduction this year, is projected to save the industry about $85 million.

The combination of low unemployment, rising wages and falling interest rates means more households are taking out loans for big-ticket items like speedboats and mobile homes.

Count Citizens Financial’s Bruce Van Saun among those who think interest rate cuts could halt by mid-2020. The key, he says, is to focus on delivering services customers are willing to pay fees for and to skillfully reprice deposits until then.

Because such a high number of new cardholders were paying fees for premium cards, Amex is earning subscription-like recurring revenue.

The Minneapolis company attributed the uptick to new tech tools, additional loan officers and other process improvements — not to mention the refi boom fueled by lower rates. It’s a formula other banks are expected to copy.

The Minneapolis bank says recent investments in its retail operation contributed to strong improvement in home lending and mortgage banking fees.