Bank channel

Such annuities typically mean “watered-down guarantees” and there’s not a lot of demand for that, a panel of speakers said at LIMRA’s 2013 annual conference on Monday.

Multiples are stronger in historical terms than many bankers assume, buyers' stock prices are going up and banks need to get to $25 billion of assets to thrive, says David Olson of River Branch Holdings.

The typical credit union would have to increase the number of advisors it deploys by 39% to get to the same deposit coverage as community banks.

Fraud against the elderly is expected to rise as the nation's baby boomers near retirement. Bankers and regulators are keen on trying to get ahead of the issue.

Trust and investment services generated $123.8 million in third-quarter revenue, up 7% year-over-year.

Bank of America posted strong revenue growth in the same quarter its big rivals showed weakness on bread-and-butter banking. But concerns about its higher litigation expenses overshadowed the good news.

The world’s most profitable securities firm before the financial crisis said earnings were little changed as the bank cut costs in response to a 20% drop in revenue.

The agency asked for the change as part of an effort to improve corporate governance at the company, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because discussions were confidential.

Generation X and the younger Generation Y—unlike Baby Boomers—see banks as places where they want to both do their banking and manage their investments.

U.S. Bank’s wealth management and securities services posted a notable drop in its contribution to the bank’s bottom line, falling to $34 million from $43 million last year.

The deal, which would bring the bank’s total settlements in the episode to more than $1 billion, may be announced as early as this week.

The third- biggest independent U.S. custody bank said third-quarter profit rose 15% as cost cuts combined with rising stock markets pushed revenue higher.

Bank of America advanced in New York trading as the second-largest U.S. lender said lower legal expenses and loan losses helped profit rebound.

Independence Bancshares in S.C. may look like an unassuming community bank, but its plans to tie together mobile banking and real-time processing may turn the industry on its head.

Just beneath the handful of behemoth banks, there are many more smaller banks competing for a larger, mainstream clientele. It's a mad scramble, but you can read about some of the winning strategies here.

Banks are looking to the relative safety and profitability of their wealth management divisions to boost earnings. But with that strategy comes increased regulatory and ethical scrutiny of this business line.

While the biggest banks dominate the wealth management industry for the most affluent clients, there is a mad scramble of regional and community banks for the less affluent clientele. One CEO called it a "jump ball."

Julie Stackhouse at the St. Louis Fed admits that some regulators who once questioned the role of smaller institutions are now committed to hearing their concerns and making improvements.

In the third quarter, the bank’s wealth and investment services generated $8.1 million in revenue, up $909,000, or 13%, from a year ago, but 9% shy of the record $8.9 million it produced in the second quarter.

JPMorgan reported its first quarterly loss under CEO Jamie Dimon after taking a $7.2 billion charge for legal expenses.