Bank channel

WASHINGTON — Though President Obama began a concerted push this week to encourage bankers to boost lending to small businesses, some are wondering if the government will come to regret trying to force the issue.

Could the "Volcker rule" be having an influence already?

Big banks are starting to open the tech-spending spigot, but times are tight for their smaller peers.

WASHINGTON — In a speech that amounted to a repudiation of congressional efforts to transform the regulatory system for banks, Federal Reserve Board Gov. Kevin Warsh suggested Wednesday that lawmakers were preoccupied by side issues.

WASHINGTON — New initiatives from the Obama administration, including plans to tax large institutions and ban them from proprietary trading, and to offer community banks incentives to increase small-business lending, have run into a wall on Capitol Hill.

According to sources, bank executives met with the wealth management group yesterday and told advisors that they could apply for positions at TD Ameritrade or TD Bank’s wealth management division for high-net-worth clients.

Lawmakers sharply criticized the Obama administration's proposed bank tax on Tuesday, telling Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner it is unfair and counterproductive.

WASHINGTON — An Obama administration push to ban banks from proprietary trading and limit their growth suffered a setback Tuesday as lawmakers from both parties raised concerns that the so-called "Volcker Rule" would have done little to nothing to prevent the financial crisis.

Companies cite defensive moves ahead of rate rise

Some analysts said that its latest deal for a unit of PNC is clearly a defensive move to box out Northern Trust Corp. from becoming a top competitor in asset servicing.

Many may switch institutions that don’t meet their needs.

The Colorado bank's wealth management practice is operated like a boutique high-net-worth independent RIA.

The banking industry's effort to compensate for lost overdraft-fee income by phasing out free checking has hit a roadblock.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration proposed Monday to raise the required level of reserves at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to more than $80 billion — a move that would require banks to pony up a huge amount of money.

$30 billion initiative would be separate from Tarp

WASHINGTON — For the second Friday in a row, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. relied on new-bank capital to find homes for the operations of failed institutions.

The insurer sees real opportunity in the Midwest and California.

Their clients are fed up with Washington as a general rule.

One silver lining was the firm’s wealth advisory group.

Zions Bancorp. executives argued this week that their business is getting back to normal, but it might be time for a company with beachheads in the troubled Southwest to redefine what normal is.