Bank channel

Bank-based advisors produced an average $27,418 in fees plus commissions in November, down 12% from October's $31,131, according to the Bank Insurance and Securities Association's latest Monthly Productivity Report.

The Pittsburgh-based bank is committing a lot of time and effort to taking its investment business to the next level.

BankAtlantic Bancorp Inc. said Monday that PNC Financial Services Group Inc. has agreed to buy 19 of its Florida branches and $350 million in associated deposits.

The Virginia Attorney General’s Office is considering whether or not to sue The Bank of New York Mellon for allegedly defrauding the state’s public pension fund by overscharging for foreign exchange transactions.

That Apple Inc. is targeting mobile payments is a foregone conclusion, but that doesn't mean banks must take a defensive approach.

The market crash was painful for investment firms and their clients, but it has been a boon for a boutique investment administration business in North Carolina.

The Florida company, which was bought in May 2009 by private investors, raised $783 million in its initial public offering, more than 18% than what it initially expected.

This changeover includes 1.9 million clients with a total of $131 billion in assets.

Commercial and industrial lending is rising at community banks, but it's unclear how much is due to a rebalancing and how much suggests a deepening economic recovery.

Panel has five new members

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has tapped Irene Tse, a former managing director and portfolio manager from Duquesne Capital Management, to effectively replace the retiring Althea Duersten.

Vantis Life’s new recurring premium was up 22% to $2.7 million in 2010, up from $2.2 million, mainly through sales at banks, according to Craig Simms, the company’s senior vice president.

In taking a piecemeal approach to selling problem assets, First Midwest Bancorp Inc. seems to be pleasing only itself.

The absence of banking issues from the State of the Union speech was logical two years after the crisis, but the President's silence on areas still in turmoil disappointed lawmakers.

The number of banks has already been cut in half, and it's no stretch to imagine that total being halved again in coming years. The question for policymakers is does this matter? If it does, what should officials be doing today to prevent that tomorrow?

Community banks are still regaining their footing, but a little-known provision in the Dodd-Frank Act could help them find opportunities once they are ready to grow again.

Reliance Financial Corp. announced Tuesday that its subsidiary, Reliance Trust Co., bought Harrington Wealth Management Co. from Pacific Western Bank.

With regulators catching flak for taking too long to close "zombie" institutions, the failure of United Western Bank seemed atypically quick.

The Bank Insurance and Securities Association named James McNeil, formerly executive vice president and chief operating officer of BAI, a consultant in Chicago, as its new executive director.

Company takes a major step in the cross-marketing strategy that it has highlighted as a benefit in the Merrill acquisition.