Regional banks

Pinnacle Financial Partners closed in on $20 billion in assets by buying BNC. It now has to integrate the North Carolina bank, while finding ways to boost profit and adapt to increased regulatory burden.

Readers chime in on the GSE conservatorships, bitcoin’s future, regulatory relief for regional banks, a recent Supreme Court ruling on debt collection, and more.

The initiative comes as the bank is carving out a niche in the market for midsize companies.

One of the greatest factors hindering a full recovery following the 2008 crisis is improperly calibrated regulation, particularly of regional banking institutions.

Here are 10 banks the investment banking firm KBW says are ripe M&A targets because they are in hot markets, face various growth challenges that make them vulnerable or have private-equity owners looking to cash out.

Thanks to the Federal Reserve's unwinding of post-crisis policies, the next wave of mergers will be driven in part by a drop in deposits.

Amid all the bad news this year among taxi-medallion lenders, banks are trying to renegotiate loan terms behind the scenes, and regulatory changes could prop up collateral values and the competitiveness of taxis.

The Toronto bank said increases in deposits and loans spurred a 20% rise in profit at its U.S. retail bank from a year earlier.

New mothers were bailing out from the Cincinnati bank at twice the rate of other women employees, so it decided to offer a maternity concierge service that would help them with stressful chores.

The rising regional player has also appointed new chairs for four board committees as it prepares for the retirement of several long-serving directors.

From digital lending solutions for U.S. community banks to Sharia-compliant finance in Africa

James Herbert, 72, has once again postponed retirement. The longtime CEO was scheduled to step down at yearend, but the company says he will remain at the helm through 2020.

First Horizon CEO Bryan Jordan explains why he thinks policymakers will change the $50 billion asset cutoff and justify the regional bank's big acquisition.

The value of CIBC's offer for PrivateBancorp in Chicago had dropped by $3 per share as of late last week due to the decline in CIBC’s stock price in recent weeks, one shareholder advisory firm said ahead of a shareholder vote next week. Another advisory firm endorses the deal.

The New Jersey company's profit growth was constrained by an 11% increase in compensation and benefits and an 85% jump in consulting fees tied to compliance and other issues.

The Sun Belt lender also increased fee income and kept expenses down in the first quarter.

Forecasts for better times ahead in banking have sellers wanting more and buyers pursuing less.

The Wisconsin regional's profits rose 35% in the first quarter on healthy loan growth, wider margins and an improved efficiency ratio, and it said its "satisfactory" CRA rating had been restored.

In an interview, CEOs for midsize banks said they are hopeful for a bipartisan Dodd-Frank Act reform bill that eases regulatory requirements for institutions with assets of more than $10 billion.

In his annual letter to shareholders, M&T Bank chief Robert Wilmers laid out in compelling detail how government policies intended to protect American families have ultimately stymied economic growth.