Citizens Financial

High rates alone won't make direct banks' customers happy, study says

03/21/19

J.D. Power found that customers who have a variety of accounts with an online-only bank are far more satisfied than those with just checking or savings accounts.

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Citizens to buy M&A firm in Atlanta

02/19/19

The Rhode Island bank is one of several regionals that have snapped up dealmaking boutiques in recent years to bolster noninterest income.

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Will BB&T-SunTrust set off a new wave of regional bank mergers?

02/07/19

The stars aligned for the two longtime rivals to join forces, and some observers speculate that other regional banks will need to strike similar partnerships if they hope to remain competitive. But others say such deals are rare because they're hard to pull off.

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Can midmarket M&A boost regional banks' fee income?

02/04/19

Consolidation of midsize firms in health care and other industries is expected to heat up in 2019. That’s welcome news to banks that have recently acquired boutique M&A advisory firms.

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Battle for deposits is ‘a steel-cage match’

01/18/19

Loan demand is finally picking up after several lackluster quarters. Banks' big challenge is finding cheap deposits to fund all those new loans.

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Banks pitch refis to generation buried in student debt

12/21/18

Student loan debt — now at $1.5 trillion in the U.S. — is arguably the greatest pain point for consumers in their 20s and 30s. To court that demographic, banks are increasingly offering help with refinancing and repayment.

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How banks could fend off Amazon and Facebook

12/10/18

Nearly 60% of people thinking about switching banks would be open to banking with a big tech company if they ever get that option. Cash incentives or existing savings accounts are big factors in consumer decisions — and things that banks could keep in mind in their efforts to recruit or retain customers.

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Bigger is better in wealth management. Except when it’s not

11/26/18

Nearly all banks need more fee income, and many have extra cash for investing in growth. Some have started buying up wealth management firms, while others have decided to pare back and specialize.

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Banks flock to personal lending, but at what risk?

11/22/18

Unlike online lenders, banks are focusing primarily on consumers with solid credit scores. But unsecured loans to prime borrowers have a limited track record, so it’s hard to predict how they’ll perform when the economy inevitably weakens.

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Regionals won't be making any major deals. Here's why

10/19/18

On paper, conditions would seem favorable for regional banks to pursue acquisitions in order to overcome organic growth challenges. But executives have poured cold water on that idea in recent days.

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