Commercial banking

The $4 trillion-asset bank posted its highest-ever annual profit but also said its CEO succession plan is still in the works.

The largest U.S. bank by assets has elevated Jennifer Piepszak to chief operating officer, in preparation for Daniel Pinto's retirement in 2026. But Piepszak is not interested in being CEO, the company said.

The financial data firm Intercontinental Exchange is buying the firm that runs the Ameribor interest rate benchmark, which some community and regional banks back as a LIBOR alternative.

Richard "Dick" Parsons, the former Citigroup chairman who died Thursday, is credited with helping the New York megabank survive the financial crisis. Earlier in his career, he led Dime Savings Bank out of the savings-and-loan crisis.

Lower borrowing costs, reduced exposure to the urban office sector and flattening vacancy rates could collectively save lenders from beleaguered corners of the commercial real estate market.

Treasury yields rose the day after President-elect Donald Trump was picked. The short-term result: It's harder for commercial real estate lenders and borrowers to find common ground.

The added capital will help the New Jersey-based regional bank reduce its commercial real estate footprint faster and give it wiggle room to grow elsewhere, analysts said.

The Dallas-based bank swung to a loss in the third quarter after reclassifying a large bundle of multifamily loans that it plans to offload under a recently announced strategy pivot.

Analysts peppered CEO Jane Fraser with questions about whether Citigroup, already hit hard by its regulators, could face asset growth restrictions. She said there is "absolutely nothing" in the works that could impact the megabank's businesses.

The megabank's scale hasn't made it immune from the deposit wars that have crimped bank profits. But the "stabilization" that Wells Fargo flagged is a positive sign as other banks start reporting earnings.