Bank channel

Large banks have repeatedly prevailed in battles to preserve federal preemption in Congress and the courts, but that victory string is likely to be broken by the regulatory reform bill being debated in the Senate this week.

The trust company highlights its value add in a series of upcoming print and web ads.

Regulators closed $3.5 billion-asset Frontier Bank in Everett, Wash., and three other smaller banks in the Midwest to bring the year’s failure total to 64.

While customer satisfaction is relatively high at banks, customers’ fuses are getting shorter when it comes to poor service and fees.

By setting up municipal sales desks in foreign offices 10 years ago, top-ranked underwriter Citi had a head start in selling taxable munis to foreign investors, which turned out to be a major boon once Build America Bonds were introduced last year.

No price disclosed for business that offers back-office services for buyout firms

A terrible January paved the way for an okay February, but green shoots are starting to appear, Kehrer-LIMRA’s Stathis said.

Overall sales of annuities through bank holding companies rose 0.5% to $2.62 billion last year, but the results were somewhat skewed.

The "noise" surrounding earnings season faded in the first quarter, and that may have said as much about how banks are shaking off the residue of the crisis as did the cuts in loan-loss provisions or the confident pronouncements of chief executives.

Though smaller companies may still bid on individual failed banks, they may have to enlarge their bids — perhaps significantly — to compete with package buyers.

The financial services industry may want to take a cue from Domino’s Pizza before declaring “mission accomplished” on the economic crisis.

The regulator fined units of the two banking companies $1.5 million and $275,000 respectively for auction rate securities violations.

The first quarter was the weakest quarter for the San Francisco banking company since it bought Wachovia at the end of 2008.

Lawmakers split Tuesday on whether the regulatory reform bill should include a "financial crisis responsibility fee" charged on the largest institutions.

As the country’s two largest custody banks wait for interest rates to improve, both continue to jockey for position as the industry consolidates.

As earnings surged at larger competitors, the Chicago-based bank reported that profits declined 3% to $157.2 million as revenue remained flat.

According to Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch Affluent Insights Quarterly survey, affluent investors have become slightly less concerned about the economy’s impact on their ability to meet financial goals, but issues related to retirement and healthcare rank highest among financial concerns.

As lawmakers continue to spar over regulatory reform legislation, a separate push to charge the largest banks a "financial crisis responsibility fee" is gaining momentum.

Citigroup's corner-turning first-quarter performance reflected more than just a boffo bond trading business and a well-timed economic recovery in overseas markets.

As it continues to shed business units and streamline operations, Citigroup Inc. reported Tuesday that earnings more than doubled from a year earlier.