Chris Cumming

Analysts warn that banks should be careful about letting relationships with aggregators turn adversarial.

Chief executives from BofA and PNC raised concerns about the conduct of data aggregators and particularly how well they protect customer data.

The third quarter ends in two weeks, and top executives at Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and two regional banks are raising concerns about cost pressures, impediments to revenue growth and heightened lending risks.

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.

The Greek debt crisis and China's stock-market crash may put downward pressure on interest rates and delay the Fed's interest rate hike, and they are adding uncertainty at a time when lenders thought recovery would be taking hold.

For several years, regional banks have been furiously trying to boost fee income by beefing up in wealth management. But costs have made it hard to gain traction in this all-but saturated market.

As expenses get harder to tighten and net interest income remains strained, fee income becomes more important for banks.

BB&T and KeyCorp's quarterly results showed how more diversified regional banks can turn to their insurance sales, investment banking and other fee generators for backup until interest rates improve. Whereas the smaller Huntington Bancshares needed strong loan growth in a quarter (and year) when fees fell.

New York regulator Benjamin Lawsky may use the cybersecurity rules he's proposed for virtual-currency companies as a model for traditional banks. That would subject the financial institutions his agency supervises to the most stringent data-security rules anywhere.

Some leaders of large community banks like are eager to line up the next big deal. Others seem content to steal lenders and open offices after several years of acquisitions.