Tax reform

Merger- and tax-related charges took a bite out of fourth-quarter profits at the Cleveland company, but its CEO emphasized that a recent deal and tax reform are promising for growth.

Executives at U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America plan to use their tax savings to ramp up spending on new technology to stay competitive — but they sought to reassure investors that they would not abandon cost control.

Total loans rose 3% at the Minneapolis bank, but its net interest margin climbed 10 basis points. It also booked a one-time accounting gain of $910 million related to tax reform.

Write-down clears the decks for better times ahead; the agency’s acting head is looking to revamp strict rule that went into effect on Tuesday.

Tax reform and other regulatory factors could allow Citigroup — and other banks — to maintain high capital levels and strong rewards for shareholders.

Though business owners are more optimistic about the direction of the economy since the tax law was passed, it's doubtful their borrowing will increase meaningfully until they see more signs of more robust growth, bankers say.

The Arkansas company's net income topped $100 million for the first time, though it largely reflected the revaluation of its deferred tax liability.

The bank plans to stick to its multiyear plan to pay out at least $60 billion in capital to shareholders even after booking a larger-than-forecast charge of $22 billion to adjust to the new tax regime

The elimination of a key deduction that had worked as a cap on CEO salaries, combined with investor pressure to maintain performance incentives, could lead to an upward drift in compensation for top executives of many banks.

Banks have been in full cost-cutting mode in recent years, but with profits expected to increase substantially as a result of tax reform, all analysts and investors want to know is how they plan to spend their tax savings.