The North American headquarters of two of the world's biggest banks are on proud display here. So why isn't anyone occupying Stamford?

This Connecticut city, a quick, 50-minute train ride from midtown Manhattan, was once replete with the sprawling, manicured campuses of corporate America. Today, in a transformation echoing that of the country's at large, it has earned the nickname "Wall Street North." The hulking, opposing homes of Swiss bank UBS and Britain's RBS Group now stand like the Pillars of Hercules as both a...