News Topic: Economy

Community bankers keep harping on the illusory issue of "too big to fail." If they're serious about strengthening the economy, they should make more of an effort to unite the industry, not divide it. ... Read full article

Banks' lowering of origination fees and loosening of underwriting standards often foreshadow a downturn. ... Read full article

Following the State of the Union speech Tuesday, Republican lawmakers hailed the president's economic record while Democrats continued criticism of an administration plan to reform the Community Reinvestment Act. ... Read full article

Here's one way community banks are trying to win over commercial clients and wealthy households: by sharing internal research with them and positioning themselves as experts on everything from business sentiment to demographics. ... Read full article

John Williams said Friday that the Federal Reserve's three interest rate cuts this year have bolstered the housing market and consumer spending. ... Read full article

Though details of a potential pact with China aren't clear, bankers are hoping it could convince leery customers to finally go through with delayed investments. ... Read full article

Several banks have reported spikes in substandard loans, special mention credits and watch-list relationships. What does it all mean? ... Read full article

Readers react to Sen. Warren calling for banks to fund her Medicare plan, a proposal requiring big-bank CEOs to testify before Congress, federal regulators missing Trump-appointees on their board and more. ... Read full article

The Minneapolis bank said it will provide $8.2 million in grants to nonprofits that arm potential workers with cutting-edge skills and promote small-business growth. Banks say the investments will help them and their commercial customers close the skills ... Read full article

Here’s why we joined other banks globally in disclosing the environmental impact from loans and investments. ... Read full article

As a growing number of chains go bankrupt, loan charge-offs are rising. ... Read full article

Bank of America’s customers spent $1.9 trillion this year through Aug. 12, an increase of 5.9% from a year earlier — a sign that the economy, driven by the consumer, remains strong, Brian Moynihan said. ... Read full article

The heads of the island's largest banks are worried that ongoing protests over government corruption and other scandals are a setback to an economy slowly rebounding from the devastating hurricanes of 2017. ... Read full article

In a downturn, some fintechs, such as independent lenders, will be more vulnerable to economic forces than those working to service banks' regulatory needs. ... Read full article

Ask 453 bankers their forecasts on loan demand and the economy, or their feelings about the BB&T-SunTrust merger, pot banking as well other hot issues, and a clear picture emerges. Promontory Interfinancial Network recently did just that, and here our ... Read full article

Readers respond to the debates over economic inequality and CEO pay disparities, weigh in on FDIC board membership, consider LendingClub exiting small-business lending and more. ... Read full article

As with the debate over guns, climate change and other social issues, banks may find themselves pressured to do more to address the country's wealth gap. ... Read full article

Columbia Banking CEO Hadley Robbins says he's confident the bank can grow on its own as the number of buyout targets in the Pacific Northwest dwindles. ... Read full article