Donald Trump's second administration is widely expected to be far less skeptical of bank mergers than the Biden administration has been, but industry experts say that political opposition to big bank mergers and business considerations will still be roadblocks.

Christiana Riley, regional head of Banco Santander's North America region, has succeeded Tim Wennes as CEO of Santander U.S.

Jon Weiss, Wells Fargo's co-CEO of corporate and investment banking resigned from his position with plans to retire; A new CFPB report says military service members paid more for auto loans and add-on products; City National Bank's Kelly Coffee is leaving the bank after her 2023 demotion; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The big payday comes after a year in which the bank made progress toward the removal of a federally imposed asset cap.

Pressing tech items across banking include the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s impending Synapse rule and Regions Bank's play for an open banking future.

Capital One's five-day interruption, President Trump's planned dismantling of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and more this month.

In the fourth quarter, UMB Financial's earnings outpaced Wall Street's estimates — but the bank it's acquiring, Heartland Financial, fell short of them.

The Reno, Nevada-based buyer said it would pay $64.6 million in cash and stock for Cornerstone Community Bancorp, and it expects to close the transaction in the second half of the year.

Banks have faced considerable criticism for continuing to profit handsomely from their partnership with Big Oil in the face of a planetary climate crisis.

Kedia is scheduled to become the first woman to run the nation's seventh-largest bank by asset size. Some analysts expressed surprise over the timing of the announcement.

Synchrony Financial's fourth-quarter earnings results missed analysts' forecasts and investors pummeled the stock due to a jump in charge-offs.

John Asbury, who is CEO of Atlantic Union Bankshares, said credit unions that compete head-to-head with for-profit banks should lose their tax-exempt status. He also called for bank regulation based on complexity rather than size.

Asheville, North Carolina-based HomeTrust Bancshares is pulling back from the region, selling its two Knoxville branches for an undisclosed sum. Apex will assume the branches' deposits, valued at an estimated $42 million.

Neeraj Singh joins the Buffalo, New York-based bank after a four-year stint at USAA, which has seen an exodus of top executives.

Just weeks after closing its purchase of Independent Bank Group, SouthState reported higher than expected earnings per share for the fourth quarter.

The acquisition adds mortgage warehouse lending to Minnesota's Stearns Bank, the latest to offer the service during a multiyear period that has seen several new entrants and exits.

Christopher Mufarrige is named acting director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection; TD Bank promotes Andrew Stewart, Nadir Johnes and Jo Jagadish; PayPal's John Kim is leaving the company; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Industry representatives such as the European Banking Federation are lobbying the European Commission to push back stricter capital standards rules until the beginning of 2027.

President Donald Trump levied a surprise broadside against Bank of America's Brian Moynihan at the World Economic Forum, chiding the CEO and catching him off-guard, accusing his lender of limiting business with conservative clients.

After the tumult of buying PacWest Bancorp, Banc of California is not only profitable again but surpassing Wall Street's expectations.