Banking News from American Banker

FNB Corp marked the grand opening of its new downtown Pittsburgh headquarters this week. The bank owns and occupies the majority of the 26-story tower in the city's Hill District, a new addition to the city's skyline and one of the few new towers built in the city's business district in recent years. And long-time bank executive Robert Goldstein has died at 84.

The New York-based institution tapped the former Republic First CEO to help oversee its transformation from a predominantly multifamily lender into business bank.

The payments company, which is unifying parts of its operation to deepen its reach with consumers and businesses, saw its stock fall more than 10% after reporting mixed earnings, though analysts are more bullish on the company's future.

Too often, banks confronting a problem with their anti-money-laundering compliance opt for quick fixes that fail to address the root of the problem. Building a good corporate risk culture takes time and investment.

The top five banks in this list closed a net total of 518 branches in 2024.

Deal advisors said the Trump administration's tariff threats and the specter of inflation have given some bankers reason to pause on acquisition plans. Momentum could still mount, but uncertainty in Washington is a detriment early in the new year.

The former Georgia senator and entrepreneur, who promised to combat red tape and fraud in her confirmation hearing, takes office following a 52-45 vote.

The executive appointments at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau top the list of noteworthy moves by President Donald Trump to hit banks in recent days.

The $35 billion transaction has faced pushback from critics on antitrust grounds since it was announced a year ago. The vote today puts the deal one step closer to closing.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Rodney Hood suggested Tuesday that regulators should consider raising the dollar amount for mandatory suspicious activity reporting and revising the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index to advance bank mergers.

The three-year-old Newport Beach-based institution, which secured $500 million in investor pledges to acquire peers, says more dealmaking may be in the works.

An overhaul of the bank regulatory system is past due, but the urge to start tearing up the rule book must be resisted in favor of precision and the thoughtful application of some basic principles.

Small lenders produced net interest margin expansion in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to interest rate cuts in the second half of 2024. Festering inflation, however, threatens to lead to rate increases that could stall their momentum.

Provident Bank announces its new chief lending officer; the SEC's acting chairman asks a federal court to delay scheduling cases involving a rule on climate-related disclosure; the merger deadline for Capital One Financial's proposed acquisition of Discover Financial Services is extended; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

The San Francisco-based bank announced that another consent order with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has been terminated. The six-year-old order was related to the bank's risk compliance management and certain loan practices.

The biggest decline was a 9.9% drop in deposits quarter-on-quarter as of Dec. 31.

The Trump administration's nominee to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Jonathan McKernan, is seen as an institutionalist with a deep knowledge of policy. But whether he keeps the bureau shuttered or rebuilds it is uncertain.

CEO Cameron Bready told analysts that the company's changes in management structure, product reorganization and strategic retrenchments will show up in earnings later in 2025.

An order permitting CSBH LLC in Powhattan, Virginia, to acquire a controlling stake in Industry Bancshares promises to give the Texas company a fresh start in one of the country's most attractive banking markets.

Serious delinquencies on auto loans rose to almost 3% in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the New York Fed. Researchers blame the affordability problem on soaring car prices.