Bank of America

Other executives are being considered, too, but the list is dwindling as JPMorgan’s Gordon Smith and other big names are said to be out of the running. Meanwhile, senior Wells executives have pushed to keep interim CEO Allen Parker.

The results clear the way for bigger dividends and stock buybacks at big banks; State Street agreed to pay $88 million to settle claims it overcharged clients.

By creating a close tie between digital debit cards and the major third-party mobile wallets, Bank of America is doing something few banks are — and expecting a payoff in broader use of digital financial services and “top of wallet” spending.

"We're going right at Bank of America, folks, in Charlotte, their hometown," JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said to cheers and laughter at a branch opening in midtown Manhattan. "We've been waiting a long time to start the expansion of Chase retail."

A new set of tougher scenarios did little to keep large banks from passing the most recent stress tests mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act.