Kristin Broughton

Pain stemming from slow U.S. commercial loan growth has spread north of the border, contradicting the yearslong narrative that Canadian banks are relying on their U.S. operations to offset economic problems at home. However, TD and BMO executives said this week there is still upside in U.S. consumer banking.

Auto risks mounting. Mortgage market tightening. Are there any good risks these days in consumer lending? Regional bank executives insist partnerships with online lenders, unsecured personal loans and other niche efforts can work if done properly.

Declines in commercial products and mortgage banking fees at the Minneapolis company offset some of the benefits of higher interest rates.

On the first big day of 2Q results, bankers said their investments in middle-market lending have started paying off. JPMorgan Chase and PNC have added commercial loan officers in new markets across the country.

Aggressive restructuring moves and stock buybacks are giving CIT time to remold itself, but it will need to show core-banking growth to stave off calls for the company to sell itself.

Chaos broke out periodically as investors and activists spoke out against the board, at times yelling or choking back emotion.

Shareholders voted to re-elect 12 board members and elect three more nominated by the company, but the slim margins sent a clear message.

Executives at BB&T, KeyCorp and Citizens are milking commercial lending niches and balancing cost control with new investments while waiting for more rate hikes to fatten margins.

The hand-wringing over business lending has overshadowed the fact that consumer lending — particularly for regional banks — has become a strong and steady engine of growth.

Speaking at a town hall event in Washington, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said that post-crisis regulations have made mortgages too costly for consumers — and made homeownership unattainable for borrowers with low incomes or blemished credit histories.

New research from the New York Fed confirms a lingering worry for the banking industry: More prime-age, college-educated borrowers are delaying the decision to take out their first mortgage as they focus instead on paying off their student loans.

With a "needs to improve" rating, Wells Fargo is now subject to a wide range of regulatory restrictions on things like branch openings and M&A.

CIT Group's exit from its commercial air and reverse-mortgage-servicing businesses cost it heavily in the fourth quarter.

Umpqua Holdings in Portland, Ore., reported an increase in profits, as a spike in fees compensated for lower interest income.

Big increases in construction and commercial real estate lending boosted revenue at the Kansas City, Mo., company.

Associated Banc-Corp in Green Bay, Wis., reported a sharp increase in profits on a mix of higher fee income and lower credit costs.

Banks have started reconsidering how much they are willing to pay for low-income housing tax credits as expectations of a Trump tax cut surge, slowing down some projects already and threatening developers with heavier financing burdens.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to give the state's banking regulator — one of the country's most aggressive — the power to ban "bad actors" from working in financial services, allowing it to step in when federal agencies refuse to act.

The bank formerly run by Steven Mnuchin, President-elect Donald Trumps' nominee to head the Treasury Department, allegedly used illegal practices in foreclosing on delinquent homeowners, according to a leaked 2013 memo from the California Attorney General’s Office.

U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis has raised its expectations for its net interest margin in the fourth quarter, citing the recent increase in benchmark rates.