Performance reports

A push for having an independent chairman gained traction immediately after the financial crisis. Years later, the effort seems to be losing momentum.

Community banks are jumping at the chance to invest in local bond issues, realizing that such participation allows them to show their dedication to hometown causes.

It's tough enough for people to rise to the top once in life. Getting there twice is harder still. Here are some notable examples of executives from that select, latter group.

The Federal Reserve has made clear that higher rates are more a question of when, not if, but banks should let go of rate hikes being anything like they were under Alan Greenspan.

Bankers have long complained that customers are fee averse. Aspiration, a nonbank that is working with a Boston bank, has a model that is proving that some clients will voluntarily pay fees.

Credit quality has improved across the industry over the past few years, but don't expect that trend to continue because of several economic forces, big-bank CEOs said Thursday.

Branch managers are essential, but it is the manager's manager that can set the tone for the performance of a bank's branch program.

While there were positive signals like loan growth and improved interest margins in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s first-quarter report card, there were also signs of trouble for the future, including larger institutions' ongoing exposure to the energy sector.

A number of executives are warning that midsize borrowers are hoarding cash rather than borrowing, reflecting increased concern about the economy.

Ties to the energy sector hurt the banking industry in the first quarter as earnings fell 1.9% to $39.1 billion compared with a year earlier, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Wednesday.

Achieving high performance is a challenge. But these five traits help the elite banks drive such impressive results.

While many of the nation's biggest banks provide live streams of their shareholders meetings, many midsize institutions do not. Investors are urging more institutions to webcast those gatherings, based on a belief that doing so will increase transparency.

Kelly King promised "additional announcements later this year" tied to long-term succession planning, and it was initially unclear if he was referring to his own retirement plans. BB&T later said that King would be CEO for the "foreseeable future."

A number of banks have faced pressure from shareholders to ditch plurality voting, where directors can keep their seats even if they fail to receive majority support from investors.

The debate over speeding up payments transactions should consider the necessity of allowing consumers time to rethink and abort their purchases.

CenterState in Florida and Union Savings in Connecticut are adding specialists to their retail locations at a time when many other banks are cutting back or have been relying heavily on universal bankers.

A proxy advisory firm has sided with Financial Institutions in Warsaw, N.Y., in its battle with an activist investor.

Goldman Sachs Group’s compensation plan, including a provision making Lloyd Blankfein the highest-paid chief executive officer of a Wall Street bank for his work last year, drew the most opposition since shareholders began voting on the matter in 2009.

The heads of megabanks get paid a lot. Some investors want them to streamline their companies for greater returns. But it's arguable whether those CEOs would want to do so if their counterparts at smaller, better-performing banks get paid less.

Flagship Community Bank in Florida is facing pressure from its biggest shareholder to sell itself, either for cash or stock in a publicly held buyer. Management, however, believes the bank will fetch a better price if given time to improve profitability.