Bank channel

Will the proposed “Volcker Plan” really hurt large companies as much as feared?

WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a vote for Thursday that would clear the path to a second term for Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke.

O.B. Grayson Hall has his work cut out for him as the incoming chief executive of struggling Regions Financial Corp.

Just how unattractive do deposits have to get before they quit growing?

Zions Bancorp., still struggling with its commercial real estate portfolio, lost $182 million in the fourth quarter and $1.2 billion for the year but reported improvements in credit quality and capital.

PE buyer finally gets to use 'shelf' charter

But advisor optimism for stronger performance has increased.

Net interest margin expanded and the integration of National City Corp. continued smoothly, but PNC Financial Services Group Inc. did not get the same pop from fourth-quarter credit trends that other banks enjoyed.

Fifth Third Bancorp, KeyCorp and Comerica Inc. may not have closed the book on losses stemming from the financial crisis, but they certainly appear to have begun a new chapter.

Critics pan plan to limit growth and risk as vague and unworkable

Third-quarter annuity commissions rose 12.9% to $669.8 million from the previous quarter.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said the FDIC may shelve its use of rating agencies in setting insurance premiums for large banks.

Among the many losers in Massachusetts' special election this week: the Obama administration's bank tax.

Banks this earnings season are walking a fine line between restoring confidence and managing expectations in an economy that hasn't made either task easy.

With strong results from its wealth management businesses, Well Fargo reported double digit revenue growth from a year earlier following its integration with Wachovia Corp.

Bank of America’s global wealth and investment management unit provided a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing fourth quarter results for the nation’s largest bank.

While Bank of New York Mellon Corp. waits for interest rates to rise, the banking company plans to continue to look for ways to control costs this year as it expands its asset management and asset servicing businesses overseas.

Aided by a surge in assets under management, State Street Corp. reported strong growth in profits in the fourth quarter, but executives remained conservative for 2011.

Amid all the noise in a typically messy quarter for Citigroup Inc. lay a beacon of hope for bankers everywhere: a shrinking pile of loans gone bad.

Like any public policy, the Obama administration's proposed bank tax will likely yield some unexpected outcomes.