BB&T says it could have been growing even faster

BB&T claimed success Wednesday on its branch and wealth management expansion into Texas and said capital levels are strong. But CEO Kelly King told investors in New York that the Winston-Salem bank could have been growing its loans even faster.

The bank didn't, however, because most of the market was for leverage lending, he said. That entails lending to companies that already have a high amount of debt. "It's too rich for our appetite," he said. King says BB&T will not ease underwriting, though it will be more price competitive.

N.C. PENSION RANKED THIRD-STRONGEST: The state treasurer's office says the North Carolina public retirement systems is the third-strongest in the nation at 93.9 percent funded, according to Morningstar. The national median is 68.4 percent.

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