Most read stories forthe week include an i-banker's departure from KBW and new regulations aimed atraising the standards for retirement investment advice.

1. I-bankerdeparts KBW

Keefe Bruyette& Woods Inc. managing director Ben Saunders is no longer withthe firm and is expected to join JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s commercial banking financialinstitutions group.

2. Final DOLrule hits annuity writers, to pressure life insurance industry

A series of final tweaks to the fiduciary rule is unlikelyto appease the life insurance industry, after the Obama administration kept itsbroad structure in place and added indexed annuities to a list of productsfacing tougher standards.

3. US lifeindustry investments in mortgage loans rise in challenging interest rateenvironment

The total dollar value of the U.S. life insurance industry'sinvestments in mortgage loans hit another high in 2015, as companies continuedto turn to the asset class in an effort to find yield in a low-for-longinterest rate environment.

4. Recent ABSdeals show that not all subprime auto paper is created equal

Two subprime auto ABS deals that have recently come tomarket show the relatively wide range of loan characteristics associated withthe highly scrutinized asset class.

5. Fintech,securities M&A see billion-dollar-plus deals in Q1

Total SystemServices Inc.'s $2.35 billion purchase of TransFirst Holdings Corp.from Vista Equity PartnersManagement LLC was the largest deal in the financial technology space duringthe first quarter, helping to propel Credit Suisse (USA) Inc. to the top of the financialadviser ranking for the period by deal value with $2.45 billion.