Wealth management

M&T, PNC, SunTrust and other regionals reported strong fee growth thanks to inroads they have made in investment banking, wealth management and other areas. It couldn't have come at a better time for them.

Piper Jaffray has agreed to buy River Branch Holdings, a Chicago investment bank that focuses on financial institutions.

KeyCorp in Cleveland has hired Gary Poth as head of its family wealth division at Key Private Bank.

A growing number of startups and banks are trying to design digital experiences that train users to manage their money more responsibly, starting with small amounts in mundane situations.

First Republic Bank in San Francisco has agreed to purchase Constellation Wealth Advisors for about $115 million.

City National in Los Angeles, which is being acquired by Royal Bank of Canada, has hired three wealth advisers for its New York office.

Stifel Financial, the Missouri-based investment bank known for snapping up regional rivals and Wall Street castoffs, agreed to buy Barclays Plc's U.S. wealth- management business.

First Citizens BancShares in Raleigh, N.C., has hired Brent Ciliano to be its chief investment officer.

BancPlus in Ridgeland, Miss., has hired two Morgan Stanley financial advisers to lead its new wealth-management unit.

The Miami area's economy is on the rebound and expanding beyond sun and fun. A new influx of money, investors and customers with international ties could feed local banks' balance sheets and top-line growth.

itBit, the startup Bitcoin exchange whose backers include former FDIC chairman Sheila Bair, has become the first digital currency firm to receive a trust charter under New York banking law.

The German bank's massive strategic overhaul will include cutting key businesses and leaving 10 countries, but it plans to invest in the U.S. despite all the regulatory troubles it has had here.

With good planning, advisory boards can increase a bank's visibility, credibility and sales.

Higher-than-expected revenue growth and improved asset quality propelled Northern Trust Corp. to strong profit gains in the quarter that ended March 31.

Morgan Stanley reported profit that beat analysts' estimates and the highest adjusted revenue in more than five years as equity trading and brokerage revenue jumped.

Sandy Spring Bancorp, in Olney, Md., reported an increase in quarterly profit because of an increase in mortgage revenue.

First Republic Bank reported higher quarterly profit, though loan growth pushed the San Francisco company above $50 billion in assets.

Bank of America reported its best quarterly profit in more than a year, but with revenue declining and expense-reduction slowing, it is unclear where the company can turn to boost earnings. Similar questions are plaguing many banks as the latest earnings season unfolds.

Regions Bank in Birmingham, Ala., has hired a former SunTrust Banks executive to join its wealth management group.

Bank of America Corp. named Diego De Giorgi and Karim Assef as co-heads of global investment banking, pairing a London-based banker who has focused on Europe and emerging markets with a New York-based veteran of the business.