Fifth Third Bancorp

The bank is pledging to lend another $2 billion in a market where it has invested $3.6 billion in various community development initiatives since 2016. Most of the new funds will be used to make loans to small businesses that operate in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

Fifth Third is helping consumers — and millennials in particular — save for big-ticket purchases with a new tool that squirrels away small sums into an account that can’t be immediately accessed.

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.

Raises for the rank and file have fueled investor complaints that banks aren’t keeping a lid on expenses. Executives say the pay increases have lowered turnover and improved customer service.

The pressure is on for banks to lean more heavily on capital markets, wealth management and other nonmortgage sources of fee income. That could get tougher in upcoming quarters.