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☆ Bank of America commits $500 million to funds led by minority, women entrepreneurs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Saeed Azhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 15 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) on Thursday said it has committed more than $500 million in equity investments to funds led by minority and women entrepreneurs, more than doubling from its initial commitment of $200 million. The bank has committed equity to more than 150 funds, which to date have invested in over 1,000 companies that span 40 states, it said. These companies are led by 1,500 diverse entrepreneurs and employ over 21,000 people. "As a company, we looked at how to support women and diverse entrepreneurs," Tram Nguyen, global head of Strategic and Sustainable Investments at Bank of America, told Reuters. "Each time we support a minority or women-led fund, they in turn support diverse entrepreneurs, which ultimately helps us toward achieving our goal to advance racial equality and economic opportunity," Nguyen said.

Persons: Nguyen, Nasir Qadree, George Floyd, Saeed Azhar, Chizu Nomiyama, Mark Porter Organizations: YORK, Bank of America Corp, Strategic, Sustainable Investments, Bank of America, Reuters, Capital Partners, Thomson Locations: Esusu

☆ Exclusive: Bank of America promotes Bettamio to co-head of investment banking; Ahmad to co-head capital markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Lananh Nguyen | Thomson Reuters | Lananh Nguyen Is The U.S. Finance Editor At Reuters In New York | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, June 8 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) promoted the head of its Latin America business, Alex Bettamio, to co-head of global investment banking alongside Thomas Sheehan, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Thursday. It also elevated Faiz Ahmad to jointly lead global capital markets with Sarang Gadkari. Bank of America's investment-banking revenue rose 19% to $6.2 billion in the first quarter, its second-best quarter for revenue, even as investment banking fees sank 20%. Jin Su will become the bank's sole president for the Asia Pacific region when Seguchi retires. Peter Guenthardt will lead global corporate investment banking in the region.

Persons: Alex Bettamio, Thomas Sheehan, Faiz Ahmad, Sarang Gadkari, Ahmad, Bilgi Zapparoli, Bernie Mensah, BofA's, Mark Monaco, Augusto Urmeneta, Jiro Seguchi, Jin Su, Seguchi, Peter Guenthardt, Lananh Nguyen, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: YORK, Bank of America Corp, Reuters, Sarang, Global Transaction Services, Bank of, GTS, Asia, Thomson Locations: America, U.S, Asia Pacific

☆ US bank stocks rebound, regional banking index hits 6-week high
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 6 (Reuters) - Shares of major U.S. banks and regional lenders outperformed broader markets in morning trading on Tuesday with the KBW Regional Banking index (.KRX) hitting its highest since late April. The tenuous relief rally comes at a difficult time for the banking sector that has been grappling with worries around deposit flight, rising interest rates and exposure to commercial real estate since March. The S&P 500 Banks index (.SPXBK) advanced about 2.3%. Regional lenders were also higher, with PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O), Western Alliance (WAL.N), Zions Bancorp (ZION.O), Comerica (CMA.N), M&T Bank Corp (MTB.N) and KeyCorp (KEY.N) rising between 4.9% and 8.5%. The volatility in shares of regional lenders has underscored ongoing investor uncertainty over the health of the sector, with the KBW Regional Banking index losing roughly 22% so far this year.

Persons: Wells, Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Manya Saini, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: KBW, JPMorgan Chase &, Wells Fargo & Co, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Citigroup, Bank of America Corp, PacWest Bancorp, Western Alliance, Zions Bancorp, Comerica, T Bank Corp, Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

Most big bank stocks were trading lower in afternoon trading with the S&P 500 banking index (.SPXBK) down nearly 1% on Monday. U.S. regulators, led by the Federal Reserve, are also expected to propose this month increasing average bank capital requirements by as much as 20% a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Regional bank stocks also logged broad declines on Monday, with the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) shedding 2%. The impending international capital rules come amid a broader Fed review of lenders' capital requirements. "It's not shocking that you should expect to see some capital requirements being increased and a little more oversight is expected given what has happened with regional banks," Janasiewicz said.

Persons: Wells, Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Jack Janasiewicz, Janasiewicz, Chibuike Oguh, Manya Saini, Michelle Price, Lance Tupper, Aurora Ellis Organizations: YORK, JPMorgan Chase &, Wells Fargo & Co, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Citigroup, Bank of America Corp, Treasury, Natixis Investment, U.S, Federal Reserve, Reuters, Street Journal, Basel Committee, KBW, PacWest Bancorp, Western Alliance, Comerica Inc, Thomson Locations: U.S, Basel, Regional, New York

"That would suggest that core prices will come down, albeit at a much slower rate than originally thought." ET, Dow e-minis were up 31 points, or 0.09%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 2.75 points, or 0.06%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 17 points, or 0.12%. Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW.O) climbed 4.6% as the cybersecurity firm looks set to replace Dish Network (DISH.O) in the S&P 500 index. Apple Inc (AAPL.O) rose 1.0% ahead of its annual software developer conference, where it is widely expected to announce a new mixed-reality headset. Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Shristi Achar A in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Michael Hewson, Loretta Mester, Sruthi Shankar, Shristi, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, Wall, Traders, CMC Markets, P Global, Institute for Supply Management, Fed Cleveland, Dow e, . Energy, Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp, Schlumberger Ltd, Saudi, Palo Alto Networks, Dish Network, Big, Wall Street Journal, Bank of America Corp, Citigroup Inc, Apple Inc, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, U.S, Washington, Big U.S, Bengaluru

NEW YORK, June 2 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co's (JPM.N) President and Chief Operating Officer Daniel Pinto said loan demand is declining at a time when regional and small banks are also tightening credit. JPMorgan's revenue for investment banking and trading are expected to decline 15% in the second quarter, Pinto said last month at the bank's annual investor day. Uncertainty and increased market volatility as central banks approach the end of their monetary tightening cycles have dented investment banking demand. Rival Goldman Sachs (GS.N) has said its dealmaking and trading revenue may slide by 25% in the second quarter, leading to job cuts. Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) expects investment banking fees and trading revenue to be broadly flat this quarter.

Persons: Daniel Pinto, Pinto, Goldman Sachs, Andy Saperstein, Morgan Stanley, Nupur Anand, Lananh Nguyen, David Gregorio Our Organizations: YORK, JPMorgan Chase, Federal Reserve, JPMorgan, Bank of America Corp, Thomson Locations: New York

NEW YORK, June 2 (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc (C.N) CEO Jane Fraser said scrapping the sale of its Mexican retail business, known as Banamex, and pursuing an initial public offering (IPO) was in the best interest of shareholders. "We acted decisively, we acted very swiftly and we said 'okay, we're gonna go down the IPO path,'" Fraser said in an investor conference in New York. Citi announced last week the sale process, which had dragged on for more than a year, had been scrapped. It has signed nine sales agreements nine markets and closed seven deals, including in Australia, India and Vietnam. The CEO held off on giving guidance about trading revenue, citing a landmark U.S. bill to lift the debt ceiling that has just passed and is still being digested by markets.

Persons: Jane Fraser, we're, Fraser, Goldman, John Waldron, Morgan Stanley, Tatiana Bautzer, Saeed Azhar, David Gregorio, Lananh Nguyen, Nick Zieminski Organizations: YORK, Citigroup Inc, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Inc, JPMorgan, Bank of America Corp, Citigroup, Thomson Locations: New York, Australia, India, Vietnam, U.S, Ukraine

[1/4] Holly O’Neill, President of Retail Banking at Bank of America speaks during a Newsmaker interview with Reuters in New York City, New York, U.S., May 31, 2023. "The consumer is still very healthy," Holly O'Neill, Bank of America's president of retail banking, said at a Reuters Newsmaker event. U.S. consumer spending increased more than expected in April, boosting the economy's growth prospects for the second quarter. Consumer spending on Bank of America cards fell 1.2 percent in April compared with a year earlier, the first year-on-year decline since February 2021, its data showed. The biggest shot O'Neill took in her career was moving to the consumer bank after serving as chief operating officer of the private-banking division.

Persons: Holly O’Neill, Mike Segar, Holly O'Neill, O'Neill, Erica, Lananh Nguyen, Saeed Azhar, Nupur Anand, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Retail Banking, Bank of America, Reuters, REUTERS, Bank of America Corp, Bank of, JPMorgan Chase &, First, Bank, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S

☆ Bank of America CEO sees investment banking and trading staying flat in Q2
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) expects investment banking fees and trading revenues to be broadly flat this quarter, its CEO, Brian Moynihan, told investors at a conference on Thursday. The second-largest U.S. bank posted investment banking fees of $1.1 billon in the second quarter last year. Loan growth will probably remain flat, Moynihan said. Reporting by Saeed Azhar and Lananh Nguyen; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brian Moynihan, Moynihan, Saeed Azhar, Lananh Nguyen, Leslie Adler Organizations: YORK, Bank of America Corp, U.S, Thomson

NEW YORK, May 31 (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co's (WFC.N) Chief Executive Officer Charlie Scharf said on Wednesday that there will be losses in the office loan space but the lender was proactively managing its portfolio. But in the context of the overall portfolio and the overall size of our loan portfolio with the company, we are not overly concentrated in office (loan space)," Scharf said while speaking to investors at a conference. The bank's outstanding commercial real estate (CRE) loans stood at $154.7 billion, or 16% of total loans, with $35.7 billion in office loans at the end of March. Office loans have posed concerns for some lenders as property values decline and more borrowers default on their loans. The San Francisco-based bank set aside $1.21 billion in the first quarter to cover potential loan losses, compared to $787 million a year earlier.

Persons: Charlie Scharf, " Scharf, Scharf, Banks, We've, Wells Fargo, Nupur Anand, Saeed Azhar, Jason Neely, Nick Zieminski Organizations: YORK, U.S, Regulators, JPMorgan Chase &, Bank of America Corp, Citigroup Inc, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, New York

☆ EV maker Lucid to raise about $3 billion from Saudi's PIF, others
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PIF, which owns more than 60% of the company, has agreed to buy 265.7 million shares in a private placement for about $1.8 billion, Lucid said in a statement. The rest will be raised from a public offering of 173.5 million shares of common stock. The private placement implies a price of about $6.80 per Lucid share, compared with the stock's Wednesday close of $7.76. Lucid's cash and cash equivalents had dropped to $900 million at the end of the first quarter, from $1.74 billion in the previous quarter. Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) is acting as the book-running manager for the public offering and Lucid intends to use the net proceeds from both the public offering and the private placement for general corporate purposes.

Persons: Lucid, Sherry House, Kanjyik Ghosh, Akriti Sharma, Devika Organizations: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Bloomberg News, Bank of America Corp, Thomson Locations: Saudi, Bengaluru

May 21 (Reuters) - The absence of women from the slate of potential Morgan Stanley (MS.N) CEO successors underscores the importance of cultivating and keeping diverse talent, corporate governance experts say. Morgan Stanley co-presidents Ted Pick and Andy Saperstein, and head of investment management Dan Simkowitz, are the front-runners to succeed James Gorman, who said on Friday he plans to step down as chief executive within a year. The most recent U.S. workforce diversity data comprehensively reported by the Wall Street banks shows women were less represented in leadership positions at Morgan Stanley than at other top U.S. banks as of 2021. A Morgan Stanley representative declined to comment. To be sure, Morgan Stanley has several women in top roles, including Chief Financial Officer Sharon Yeshaya.

Under his leadership, Morgan Stanley became a wealth management powerhouse that aims to manage $10 trillion in assets. Morgan Stanley bought money manager Eaton Vance, online broker E*Trade, and stock-plan manager Solium Capital under Gorman's leadership. He was also the key architect behind Morgan Stanley's purchase of Smith Barney, a brokerage and investment adviser, in 2009. The acquisitions have made Morgan Stanley's U.S. wealth business an "asset gathering monster," and a "killer machine," he said on an earnings conference call last month. "This structure will ensure the continued stability of Morgan Stanley, while at the same time positioning it for a decade of exciting growth under new leadership."

☆ Bank of America's Merrill names new leaders to head divisions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 19 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp's (BAC.N) investment and wealth management arm Merrill named insider Greg McGauley as the head of private wealth management, international and institutional, Merrill said on Friday. Merrill offers investment management services to its clients including, wealth planning, insurance, retirement and savings planning. McGauley joined Merrill in 1994 and has held several senior roles at the company, including leading private wealth services. Lydia DiClemente was also named as the head of Merrill Banking Enablement and Merrill Financial Solution Advisors. DiClemente, who has more than 20 years of experience in the wealth management industry, will also work in partnership with April Schneider, the head of wealth management banking and lending.

Wells Fargo has operated since 2018 under consent orders from the Federal Reserve and two other financial regulators requiring that it improve governance and oversight. The San Francisco-based bank denied wrongdoing, and settled to eliminate the burden and cost of litigation, court papers show. "While we disagree with the allegations in this case, we are pleased to have resolved this matter," Wells Fargo said in a statement on Tuesday. Wells Fargo has since 2016 paid or set aside several billion dollars to resolve regulatory probes and litigation over its business practices. The case is In re Wells Fargo & Co Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ Wells Fargo reaches $1 bln settlement with shareholders over recovery from scandals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Wells Fargo & Co has agreed to pay $1 billion to settle a lawsuit accusing it of defrauding shareholders about its progress in recovering from a series of scandals over its treatment of customers. Wells Fargo (WFC) has operated since 2018 under consent orders from the Federal Reserve and two other financial regulators requiring that it improve governance and oversight. Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours. The San Francisco-based bank denied wrongdoing, and settled to eliminate the burden and expense of litigation, court papers show. Wells Fargo has since 2016 paid or set aside several billion dollars to resolve regulatory probes and litigation concerning its business practices.

The S&P Regional Banking Index fell approximately 25% during the quarter as a run on deposits sank Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in March, both of which were at the time the largest banking failures since the Great Financial Crisis. The S&P Regional Banking index is now down 36% for the year to date. Famed "Big Short" investor Michael Burry's Scion Asset Management, meanwhile, added a number of new positions in regional banks, including stakes in First Republic, PacWest (PACW.O) and Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N). Shares of regional banks have remained volatile in recent weeks, with some investors wary of more tumult to come in the sector. London-based Marshall Wace sold 51,300 shares of First Republic in the first quarter, closing its position in the bank.

☆ Bridgewater dumps bank stocks amid turmoil in first quarter -filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan... Read moreSAO PAULO, May 15 (Reuters) - Bridgewater Associates, one of the world's largest hedge funds, sold off U.S. bank stocks in the first quarter as the industry was roiled by the collapse of three lenders, according to regulatory filings. Global hedge funds cut their exposure to U.S. banking stocks to a near 10-year low in March and fled lending-sensitive shares amid turmoil in the industry following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The firm also slashed its positions in smaller banks such as Bank of Hawaii Corp (BOH.N), Pacwest Bancorp (PACW.O), PNC Financial Services Group (PNC.N), Citizens Financial Group (CFG.N) and Capital One Financial Corp (COF.N). Bridgewater was also bearish on European banks in March, after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank sparked contagion fears across global banks, a Reuters report showed. Following SVB, Signature Bank was also placed into receivership in March, while JPMorgan bought First Republic Bank's assets earlier this month.

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Jim Simons' Renaissance Technologies LLC was among the prominent funds that took positions in embattled regional bank First Republic Bank (FRCB.PK) during the first quarter ahead of the firm's May 1 collapse, according to securities filings released on Monday. Renaissance Technologies LLC, which has more than $100 billion in assets under management, bought approximately 7.1 million shares of First Republic during the first quarter and held them as of March 31, when they closed at $13.99 per share. Boston-based Adage Capital Partners, meanwhile, added a new position of approximately 185,000 shares of First Republic during the quarter, while New York-based Alpine Global Management LP added a new position of approximately 1.7 million shares in the company, filings showed. Renaissance Technologies, Adage Capital and Alpine Global did not respond to requests to comment for this story. Reporting by David Randall; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Berkshire invests in Capital One, sheds four stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Buffett's company made its disclosures in a regulatory filing listing its U.S.-traded stocks as of March 31. Capital One shares rose 5.7% in after-hours trading following Berkshire's disclosure of a 9.92 million share stake worth about $954 million. In Monday's filing, Berkshire also revealed a new $41.3 million stake in Diageo Plc (DGE.L), the maker of alcoholic beverages including Johnnie Walker and Guinness. BERKSHIRE BUYS MORE APPLE, BANK OF AMERICADespite the selling, Berkshire still invests in several financial services companies. Berkshire also has dozens of operating businesses including the BNSF railroad, Geico car insurance, and many energy, manufacturing and consumer units.

May 8 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) agreed to pay $215 million to settle a class action alleging widespread bias against women in pay and promotions, ending one of the highest-profile lawsuits claiming unequal treatment of women on Wall Street. In a well-known 1990s case, Smith Barney settled charges that men harassed women in a space known as the "Boom-Boom Room." "This settlement will help the women I had in mind when I filed the case," Orlich said in a statement. The settlement also calls for Goldman to hire independent experts to analyze its gender pay gaps and performance evaluation processes. In 2020, the bank said it aimed for 40% of vice presidents to be women within five years.

☆ Oil recoups losses on plans for SPR refill, higher seasonal demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Arathy Somasekhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Bank of America Corp FollowTOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Oil prices ticked up on Tuesday, reversing a more than 2% drop earlier in the session, as markets weighed U.S. government's plans to refill the nation's emergency oil reserve and anticipated higher seasonal demand. Brent crude settled 43 cents, or 0.6% higher, at $77.44 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude closed up 24 cents, or 0.3%, at $73.39. Biden administration plans to begin purchasing oil to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve helped cover speculative short positions, said Robert Yawger, executive director of energy futures at Mizuho. A report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) pointing to higher seasonal demand and lower-than-expected output also supported prices. "We expect the seasonal rise in oil consumption and a drop in OPEC crude oil production to put some upward pressure on crude oil prices in the coming months," the Energy Information Administration said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook.

☆ Warren Buffett set for 59th Berkshire Hathaway shareholder marathon as big questions loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett walks through the exhibit hall as shareholders gather to hear from the billionaire investor at Berkshire Hathaway Inc's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., May 4, 2019. Tens of thousands of people are flocking to Omaha, Nebraska this weekend for the extravaganza that Buffett, 92, calls "Woodstock for Capitalists." "Charlie is 99 and Warren turns 93 on Aug. 30," Lountzis added, "and you just don't know how many more you're going to have." Buffett and Munger are due to answer five hours of shareholder questions at the meeting. "We believe in constructive engagement and dialogue, whether it's Warren Buffett or another company," Frerichs said in an interview.

The latest case in point: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) chose JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) as the winning bidder in an auction to buy collapsed lender First Republic Bank on Monday. FDIC officials, however, say would-be buyers risk losing out if they allow the value of an acquisition target to deteriorate over time while waiting for an FDIC receivership. SWEETENERSU.S. bank mergers were already sluggish as interest rates rose and recession loomed, analysts at Raymond James wrote in an Apr. The first quarter was the quietest opening to a year for bank deals in a generation, they said. Market volatility stops bank buyers from pulling together enough money to cover writedowns on struggling assets, which would be triggered by a traditional acquisition, said David Sandler, co-head of financial services investment banking at Piper Sandler Companies (PIPR.N).

☆ Buffett set for 59th shareholder marathon as big questions loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett walks through the exhibit hall as shareholders gather to hear from the billionaire investor at Berkshire Hathaway Inc's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., May 4, 2019. Tens of thousands of people are flocking to Omaha, Nebraska this weekend for the extravaganza that Buffett, 92, calls "Woodstock for Capitalists." Buffett and Munger are due to answer five hours of shareholder questions at the meeting. "We believe in constructive engagement and dialogue, whether it's Warren Buffett or another company," Frerichs said in an interview. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in Omaha, Nebraska; Editing by Will Dunham and Megan DaviesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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