Banks, Financial Institution | featured news

Late last week, a research report by the Susquehanna Financial Group got the market buzzing about the possibility of Wells Fargo acquiring Discover Financial Services. Such an acquisition would no doubt be in line with Wells Fargo’s strategy of focusing on traditional banking services for growth. And the bank has made it clear in the recent past that it will not shy away from opportunities to grow inorganically. So, is there really value to be gained from such a merger between the fourth largest U.S. bank in terms of assets and the fourth largest payments firm?

Barclays has moved quickly to fill the void at the top. The bank Thursday named Antony Jenkins, the head of its retail and business banking unit, to succeed Robert Diamond, who was forced to resign July 3 after the Libor rate-rigging scandal.

Here’s something that may (or may not) surprise about you about banks: They’re raking in profits like it’s 2007. It's not such a rosy environment for banks once you cut a little deeper into the numbers. The latest data from the FDIC show banks taking in net income of $34.5 billion in the second quarter of 2012, that’s up $5.9 billion from from the second quarter of 2011.

The attorneys general of New York and Connecticut have issued subpoenas to seven banks over the possible manipulation of a global interest rate, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday....

Libor benchmark interest rates are no longer "fit for purpose" and must be changed or replaced, Britain's regulator said on Friday as he set out proposals to restore their credibility.

New York's top bank regulator threatened to strip Standard Chartered Plc of its state banking license, saying the British bank was a "rogue institution" that hid $250 billion in transactions tied to Iran, in violation of U.S. law.

The investigation into the manipulation of the Libor benchmark interest rate has led banks to seek to implicate their rivals, according to government and bank officials.

Barclays Plc revealed a new regulatory probe and more U.S. lawsuits on Friday, making it harder for the British lender to rebuild its reputation damaged by the central role it played in the interest rate-rigging scandal shaking banks.

It is an open secret in the banking world: the interest rates for many mortgages and loans are based on a benchmark that is largely guesswork. The flaws in the rate-setting process, which is used to determine the pricing for trillions of dollars of financial products, have been exposed by the latest banking scandal. Regulators around the world are investigating whether big banks gamed the rates for their own benefit before and after the financial crisis.

Deutsche Bank, Germany's biggest lender, is to cut 1,000 jobs in its investment banking division, the business daily Handelsblatt reported Thursday, quoting "well-informed financial sources".