Hopes that the pandemic has been curbed have dimmed as infections and hospitalizations are on the rise again due to the introduction of the extremely dangerous Delta strain. For some companies, this has disrupted their plans to bring remote employees back to their offices or institute a "hybrid" arrangement.

The company will now begin bringing back staffers who have been working remotely on Oct. 18, rather than Oct. 4, according to an internal memo Wednesday from Chief Operating Officer Scott Powell.

From vaccine mandates to mask requirements, banks are being forced to make difficult decisions in response to fast-changing conditions. Here's a look at where 14 large and midsize companies have landed — at least for now.

Compensation needs to be competitive, of course, but employees also need to feel appreciated. In a challenging labor market, here’s how banks can retain their best workers and keep them motivated.

PNC Financial Services Group said it will raise its hourly minimum wage to $18 an hour from $15, joining the ranks of firms increasing pay amid labor shortages.

The more stringent safety measures, announced to staff on Tuesday, signal escalating caution at Goldman, which greeted the return of employees in June with live music and food trucks.

An opponent of affirmative action is challenging the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of a rule to get more women and minorities on the boards of companies trading on Nasdaq.

The new standards give some 300 listed banks up to five years to meet targets for including women and minorities on their boards, or explain why they aren't doing so. State officials and investors had already pushed banks about the need to rethink their approaches to recruiting directors.

The Boston-based firm plans to close its two midtown Manhattan offices, the company said. Its New York-based staff will work remotely or from buildings in New Jersey and Connecticut.

M&T in New York, which is seeking regulatory approval to buy People’s United Financial, recently disclosed plans for around 1,000 layoffs. The backlash — focused on job cuts in the seller’s hometown of Bridgeport — has been stronger than in other recent deals.

CoinFund, a blockchain-focused investment firm, hired Christopher Perkins from Citigroup as managing partner and president to help bridge the gap to the traditional finance sector.

The largest U.S. bank, which often sets policies ultimately adopted by the broader financial industry, announced the change in a memo to staff Friday.

Wells Fargo is pushing its return-to-office plans back a month to early October, citing rising COVID-19 rates across the U.S.

In late July, the Justice Department notified the Houston bank of a potential lawsuit alleging violations between 2013 and 2017, according to a securities filing. Cadence said that its prospective merger partner, BancorpSouth, supports the settlement discussions.

KeyCorp paid out bonuses to investment bankers of as much as $25,000 in June, according to people familiar with the matter, joining other financial firms that have boosted pay to retain talent.

Banks are struggling to hire and retain workers in a tight labor market. To stay competitive, they are making concessions on wages and remote work that likely would have been unnecessary before the pandemic.

Citigroup attracted close to $15 billion in net new money across its Asia Pacific wealth management business in the first six months of 2021, as hundreds of new hires helped the lender mark one of its strongest half years on record for the unit.

Citigroup has gone back to requiring employees — regardless of their vaccination status — to don masks when they’re in the office, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The state's department of financial services is asking firms that it supervises to report information about the composition of their boards and senior leadership. It expects to publish aggregate findings in early 2022.