On today's final trading day of October, stocks are on track for their best month in four years and a fifth straight winning week.
The holding company for First Niagara Bank said Friday that the period ended Sept. 30 was its 11th straight quarter of double-digit growth for its commercial loan book. First Niagara's net income available to common shareholders fell to $50.8 million, or 14 cents per share, from $57 million, or 19 cents per share, in the same period last year.
*Barclays starts coverage of the U.S. small-cap banks industry with neutral. *Barclays starts Associated Banc Corp with equal weight rating. *Barclays starts Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc with underweight rating.
The company appointed Anne Donahue to New York market leader for the private client reserve of US Bank. The bank also appointed Lynn Maaske as vice president and wealth management adviser for the private client reserve in St. Paul. The firm added Al Weaver and John Worcester to its advisor force in Massachusetts.
BUFFALO, N.Y.-- First Niagara Financial Group says it's realigning some staffing and will do away with 180 positions as it recruits for 250 others. The bank says it's hired 2,700 people over the past two years, including 1,200 from its recent purchase of 195 HSBC branches in New York and southwestern Connecticut.
A quick look at the "laggards" for year-to-date returns among bank stocks shows some quality names that posted relatively strong earnings results in 2011, and performed much better than the The KBW Bank Index.
The bulls have discovered First Niagara Financial Group.