Credit card issuers would have to set aside more in reserves because of higher loss histories, according to research by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods on the impact of the new loan-loss standard.
The biggest merger in years is reviving the idea that the industry is headed for a barbell-like shakeout, with very large banks on one end, community banks on the other and very few in between.
OceanFirst in New Jersey shuttered more than a third of its branches but says nearly all the customers stuck with the bank because it trained employees to show customers how to go digital.
Readers respond to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overhaul of its payday loans rule, debate reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, consider regulatory exemptions for regional banks and more.
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.
