Bank channel

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.

Recently the bank channel has been gaining traction, but some have avoided it altogether, potentially giving up revenue in favor of retaining top talent.

Temporary charter created for Utah-based Barnes

WASHINGTON — While much of the industry's attention is centered on congressional efforts to revamp financial services, a proposal from the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision also could significantly rewrite the rules of banking.

The banking company's fourth-quarter earnings quadrupled as it continued to see strong growth from its asset management business.

Sir Richard Branson's foray into U.K. financial services is gathering speed, but in this country, he needs a new driver.

Industry watchers' description of the plan to charge a 15-basis-point fee on net liabilities ranged from an annoying, yet manageable, cost to a misguided policy.

With it increasingly likely that a bipartisan reform bill in the Senate would not include an independent, powerful Consumer Financial Protection Agency, lawmakers are exploring alternatives.

After spending the second half of last year exchanging its long-term expansion plans for extra capital, Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc. announced it received approval from the Treasury Department to begin repaying the $154 million in outstanding Series C preferred stock that was issued to the Treasury as part of its Capital Purchase Program.

Tarp, TLGP recipients to pay 15 basis point fee

WASHINGTON — House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank laid out his near-term agenda Wednesday, including a Jan. 22 hearing on executive compensation at financial companies and a Feb. 3 hearing on why banks are not lending more.