Consumer banking

Though bank analysts like Matthew Schultheis generally expect M&A activity to continue at a brisk pace for several years to come, stock market volatility could prove to be an issue for potential dealmakers in the near term.

Though bank analysts like Matthew Schultheis generally expect M&A activity to continue at a brisk pace for several years to come, stock market volatility could prove to be an issue for potential dealmakers in the near term. With a lower stock price, buyers may end up not being able to pay as much as sellers now expect, says Schultheis, who covers the financial services sector for Boenning & Scattergood. Here’s his outlook on bank M&A, including the number of deals he anticipates will happen this year and whether big banks might be among the buyers.

To brace for stress in the energy sector, Cullen/Frost Bankers in San Antonio, Texas, recently boosted its reserves on oil-related loans to 3% — while competitors like Hancock Holding and Wells Fargo have set even higher reserve levels. "The mix of loans is very different," says Dick Evans, chairman and CEO of the Texas bank.

Josh Hinkel, a partner with Bain & Co., discusses the rise of shareholder activism in financial services – and how "aggressive" investors are driving higher returns.

Digital is a big reason why the biggest banks have moved ahead of regional banks in satisfaction surveys, but there are several others, a J.D. Power & Associates executive says.

Dick Evans, chairman and CEO at Cullen/Frost Bankers in San Antonio, discusses the decline in oil prices, and what it means for energy lending at the $28.6 billion-asset company.

Banks' core systems are like spaghetti — a mess of noodles. They need to find ways to be more structured,, says Hanspeter Wolf, CEO of onboarding software vendor Appway.