Regional banks

The CEOs of Pinnacle Financial Partners and Synovus Financial — two banks that recently announced a deal to join forces — say they've ironed out all the critical sticking points that bedeviled previous mergers of equals.

The Ohio-based bank opened its first branch in Alabama, with plans to open 14 more over the next three years.

Growing loans was a tall order in 2024, but banks that could do just that were able to outperform their peers.

The Columbus, Ohio-based regional bank also benefited from strong performances by several legacy business lines, including auto, mortgages and SBA lending.

The regional bank's cloud-based software platform will be one of the first of its kind, a top executive said Friday.

The Minneapolis-based bank reported solid commercial growth during the second quarter, with the momentum carrying over into July.

A new federal law that decouples health savings accounts from high-deductible insurance plans is expected to be a tailwind for the Connecticut bank's health care unit.

The Texas attorney general has accused WEX Bank of "debanking" a firearm supplier, but the Maine-based bank said it does not discriminate against any industry.

The CEOs of smaller regional banks received fatter bonuses last year than their big-bank counterparts, possibly thanks to low performance expectations at the smaller banks after the 2023 banking crisis.

The Cincinnati-based bank has partnered with the fintech Trust & Will to make estate planning easy, accessible — and free.

The Ohio-based regional bank is poised to outperform in the second quarter after coming close to "hitting on all cylinders" during the first three months of the year, CEO Steve Steinour said.

King, who spent 24 years at M&T Bank and departed with little explanation, will lead Fifth Third's operations in middle market commercial banking and wealth management.

CEO-designate Gunjan Kedia said payments growth is critical to the Minneapolis-based regional's overall success. Dealmaking will take a back seat to organic growth for the time being, she added.

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

The Columbus, Ohio-based bank's profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter from a year ago, with solid growth in loans and deposits.

The Pittsburgh-based company's fourth-quarter earnings increased more than 80% from the same period in 2023, beating analysts' expectations and leaving CEO Bill Demchak upbeat about 2025 prospects, though M&A likely remains off the table.

Mohit Ramani joins the Cleveland-based company next week. His predecessor, Darrin Benhart, will fill a newly created role as Key's chief regulatory officer.

The Green Bay, Wisconsin-based bank will record a fourth-quarter loss after agreeing to sell $3 billion of low-yield loans and mortgages. The moves leave the bank well-positioned for 2025, CEO Andy Harmening said.

The Greenville, South Carolina-based company said it would pay $80 million in stock to acquire ANB Holdings and its Miami-area bank.