Citizens Financial

Citizens open to bank acquisitions, CEO says

01/20/21

Providence, R.I.-based Citizens Financial has largely focused on nonbank deals in recent years, but CEO Bruce Van Saun said the race for scale in the industry is prompting more banks — including his own — to consider mergers.

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Citizens launches Citizens Pay brand to boost point-of-sale lending

01/11/21

Citizens Financial Group has branded its point of sale lending software as Citizens Pay, saying it wants to more clearly define it as a merchant tool for "budget-friendly payment options" for customers who want a transparent and predictable way to finance purchases.

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Citizens hires JPMorgan Chase exec to lead digital expansion

10/28/20

Donald Felix will join the Rhode Island company in January as head of national banking. He recently was responsible for developing a personal finance management strategy for JPMorgan Chase’s consumer bank.

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Charge-offs held in check … for now

10/21/20

Banks have managed to steer around trouble spots in energy, hotel and mall-related credits. But fears of further deterioration, an eviction wave or more job losses are keeping lenders circumspect.

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Pandemic has put a premium on speed, Citizens CEO says

08/20/20

The slowdown in branch traffic brought on by the coronavirus outbreak has accelerated consumers’ adoption of online banking and other tech, meaning banks have no time to waste in digitizing their customer-facing applications, says Bruce Van Saun.

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2Q preview: Regional banks staring at steep profit declines

07/02/20

While elevated loan-loss provisions are expected to eat into all banks’ earnings, midsize banks could suffer more than their big-bank rivals because they have fewer revenue drivers. Meanwhile, investors will be watching closely for any signs of dividend cuts stemming from the Federal Reserve’s caps on payouts.

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Banks say they’re gaining on fintechs during pandemic

06/10/20

In wealth management and consumer lending, banks are starting to win back clients they had been losing to startups.

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Guarded optimism from bank execs as economy reopens

06/09/20

Leaders of companies including Citizens, Comerica and Truist offered more upbeat assessments of loan demand and credit quality than they have in recent weeks. But others warned of weakness in key sectors such as energy and real estate, and said forbearance policies may be hiding potential pitfalls.

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PPP loan forgiveness, BofA’s cost cutting, Amex’s cloud commitment: Top stories of the week

05/29/20

The SBA issues guidance on Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness; after staffing up for PPP, Bank of America may need to delay investments to meet cost targets; American Express has leaned hard on cloud tech to help employees work at home during the pandemic.

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