Practice management

Bank merger and acquisition activity rebounded this year, led by Fifth Third's $10.9 billion proposed purchase of Comerica. Huntington, PNC and Columbia were involved in some of the other biggest deals announced in 2025.

Proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services recommended approval of Fifth Third's $10.9 billion proposed acquisition of Comerica.

The home purchase market, which competes for consumers with rentals, should remain subdued in 2026 because of high mortgage rates and low affordability.

The Tacoma, Washington-based bank, which has completed two mergers since 2023, said Thursday that it will buy back up to $700 million of its own shares over the next year.

King Ridge is already managing the world's first-ever cat-bond ETF for Brookmont Capital Management, which initially planned a European version of its ETF, but shelved it earlier this year.

As President Trump calls for scrapping quarterly earnings reports and switching to a six-month schedule, industry observers wonder whether the time saved would be worth the potential loss of transparency.

The Canadian bank said it will take at least a year to hit an inflection point in U.S. loan growth. It has been shedding assets in an effort to free up space for growth in more promising business lines.

Flagstar Bank wants to merge its holding company into the bank, which would cut $15 million in annual expenses and eliminate regulatory oversight by the Federal Reserve, leaving the OCC as its primary regulator. The bank's CEO, Joseph Otting, is a former comptroller of the currency.

While other European-based banks have retreated from the United States, Santander is doubling down by building out its nationwide digital-banking platform. "Unequivocally," said U.S. CEO Christiana Riley, "the opportunity … is so clear."

Bankers' surveys of commercial clients have found that corporate decision-makers are less concerned about adverse tariff effects than nervous investors.

For the first time in almost two years, mortgage products available for consumers are at a level established in 2012.

Forecasters on an American Bankers Association panel predict continued economic growth this year, though they say President Trump's tariffs have created new inflation and recession risks.

Deal advisors said the Trump administration's tariff threats and the specter of inflation have given some bankers reason to pause on acquisition plans. Momentum could still mount, but uncertainty in Washington is a detriment early in the new year.

As forbearance starts to rise due to the fires, servicers that have just gotten a respite from hurricanes recoveries will have to gear up again.

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.

Those born between 1997 and 2012 will go from making up a scant 6% of today's market to a 25% share by 2028, and mortgage lenders need to be ready to serve them.

The Chicago-area lender, which at first was able to get the suit quashed, agreed to end the discrimination case by paying a $105,000 fine.

As it gets ready for more competition from VantageScore, the company also did not comment on reports of yet another impending price hike.

Awareness of disaster risk has increased in the public and private sectors, and it appears to be prompting more interest in home improvements in particular.