Fee income

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.

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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.

The federal regulator cited recent “cost savings” and promising projections for costs and revenue next year in announcing the reduction in assessments.

Nearly all banks need more fee income, and many have extra cash for investing in growth. Some have started buying up wealth management firms, while others have decided to pare back and specialize.

Mexico's next president wants to prohibit banks from charging ATM and other fees. That could be bad news for Citigroup and other banks with large retail networks in the country.