Chatter about bank-nonbank combinations pops up frequently, as it did in a low-profile way this week, but there are reasons you should be skeptical even in these anything-could-happen times.
Fourth-quarter profits at Wintrust Financial in Rosemont, Ill., climbed 54% to $54.6 million from a year earlier, helped largely by acquisitions and increases in mortgage banking and other fee income.
The $143 billion-asset company has agreed to buy the Retirement Corporation of America, an advisory firm based in Fifth Third’s headquarters city that focuses on the needs of retirees.
