Regional banks

If the no-premium agreement announced by First Horizon and Iberiabank this week is a sign that sellers’ asking prices will come down, then Regions might reconsider its anti-M&A stance, a company executive said.

While layoffs at big banks get the headlines, small and midsize lenders are also trimming payrolls in response to lower rates and fears that a recession is getting closer.

Don Kimble assured investors Wednesday that the bank is being "very diligent" in lending to an industry some experts say is already in a recession. Echoing other banking executives, he also predicted that consumer lending would drive overall loan growth in the near term.

Ralph Babb had stepped down as CEO in April. Curtis Farmer, who succeeded him as chief executive, will assume the chairman's title starting next year.

Banco Santander Chairman Ana Botin said that more than a decade after the financial crisis, bankers and other elites remain distrusted around the world, and "as a result, political populism is ascendant."

First Horizon and Iberiabank solidified their resolve after BB&T and SunTrust announced their merger. Bryan Jordan, First Horizon's CEO, says he's convinced the earlier deal is having a similar influence at other regional banks.

The deal will create a Southeastern regional with $75 billion in assets across 11 states.

Taking a page from fintech competitors, banks have worked to enrich the small-business app experience.

The San Antonio company said it withstood rate pressures because it has been ahead of the game in deposit pricing over the last two years.

Bank and other lenders are said to have poured hundreds of billions of dollars into financing private-equity firms and their investment deals in recent years. Defaults have been low, but an economic slowdown could put these relationships to the test.