Revenue and expenses

The Georgia bank's operating costs rose in the fourth quarter, but executives sought to assure shareholders that investments will produce revenue growth in the long run.

Commercial lending was sluggish in 2019, but leaders at Huntington, KeyCorp and M&T are encouraged that rates are stabilizing and business sentiment is improving.

While the New York bank has a handle on deposit pricing, Joseph DePaolo said a new accounting standard will play tricks with how it addresses credit quality.

The Southeast banks expect to complete their merger by midyear, hit their savings targets and still be able to invest in growth, according to Bryan Jordan.

Brian Moynihan said banks must be mindful of pricing and risk as they contend with lower yields on loans and securities.

The Charlie Scharf era began with the company's lowest quarterly net income in more than nine years. Culprits included falling revenue, rising salaries and yet more financial fallout from the bank's sales scandal.

With loan demand weak due to factors beyond their control, small-bank execs can expect to field lots of questions about capital and expense management.

Paul Murphy took full responsibility for a recent spike in charge-offs at the Houston company. His challenge in 2020 is keeping credit issues in check.

Savings institutions are aggressively cutting staff and shortening hours to be more competitive. As a result they have become more efficient than commercial banks.

The rapid pace of technological change will force financial services companies to invest in more efficient digital offerings for clients, eliminate jobs and retrain staff to focus on higher-value work, according to an Accenture report.