Performance reports

Cross-selling abuses are not systemic and honest bankers are still important to society, the head of the Minneapolis bank said in an apparent reference to the scandal at Wells Fargo.

Sometime last month, scandal-plagued Wells Fargo decided to stop referring to its branches as "stores." It may have been a knee-jerk reaction to intense public scrutiny, but it may also be long overdue given retail banking's evolution.

Northern Trust’s success in attracting new trust and investment management clients helped to boost its third-quarter profit.

Profit improved at M&T Bank in the third quarter as the Buffalo, N.Y., company expanded commercial and mortgage lending and completed the sale of a large investment-securities portfolio.

BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., rode recent acquisitions to a record profit in the third quarter.

Profits at U.S. Bancorp held steady in the third quarter as the Minneapolis company on Wednesday reported a mix of both higher fees and salary-related costs.

Banc of California, the lender that's paying $100 million to sponsor a soccer stadium, rose in early trading Wednesday after moving up its quarterly earnings release following a report by an anonymous short seller that caused the shares to plunge a day earlier.

Its loan-loss provision increased largely due to energy-related loans, but Hancock Holding in Gulfport, Miss., still reported higher third-quarter profits. Lower expenses and an increase in lending for healthcare, equipment finance and mortgages were the main reasons.

Remember how commercial and industrial lending was a hot item in the first half of the year? Not anymore. Blame election-year blues and a regulatory crackdown on CRE, regional bank executives said. The good news is that the hand-wringing over energy lending has largely subsided and banks are taking advantage of new opportunities in specialty lending.

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles reported higher third-quarter profits thanks to higher net interest income, increased commissions and fees and the elimination of its loss-sharing agreements.

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., reported a higher third-quarter profit, citing improved fee income from mortgage lending, capital markets and credit and debit cards. It also benefited from some special items and energy-market improvements.

Attendees at this year's American Bankers Association conference are fixated on the election, fintech competition and banking's changing landscape. While optimistic, many are still wondering where their industry is headed.

Ameris Bancorp in Moultrie, Ga., reported a double-digit increase in profits thanks to an acquisition, organic loan growth and other factors.

Wintrust Financial in Rosemont, Ill., rode strong gains in both interest and fee income to a record profit in the third quarter.

Strong growth in deposits and mobile users at Bank of America, together with questions tied to the phony account scandal at Wells Fargo, had B of A executives addressing whether their bank and others would be better off than ever by scaling back branches.

The California company will report a quarterly loss after credit issues surfaced in its technology lending division. Opus had expressed an interest earlier this year to expand the business after making a key hire.

Bank of America's chief financial officer on Tuesday downplayed the odds of a Wells-Fargo-style phony-account scandal at B of A, contending that it does not use hard-charging sales tactics.

The demographics of our country are changing. If businesses aren’t figuring out a way to change, too, they risk being left behind.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., said Monday that it expects to report a third-quarter loss of 5 cents a share, reflecting $38.8 million in chargeoffs tied to eight loans in its technology, commercial and specialty lending divisions.

Bank of America, the second-biggest U.S. lender by assets, said third-quarter profit rose 7.3%, beating analysts’ estimates, as revenue from fixed-income trading was better than predicted and expenses fell.