Alan Kline

Northern Trust (NTRS) in Chicago said Wednesday that its second-quarter profit rose 18% from the same period last year, to nearly $180 million, as fees from trust, investment and other services reached their highest levels in four years.

Nearly all senior citizens and others who receive monthly Social Security benefits on government-issued debit cards are satisfied with their cards and would recommend them to other seniors who are still receiving paper checks, a new survey has found.

A group of investors led by Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang has agreed to invest $4.8 million in a Redwood City, Calif., payments network that lets use retailers' gift cards to buy goods and services from other merchants.

Out-of-work Ohio residents whose unemployment payments are loaded onto prepaid cards will no longer be able to use their cards when their balances fall below zero.

Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) announced Monday that it has hired former JPMorgan Chase (JPM) executive Chad Borton as its new head of retail banking.

Frederick County Bancorp in Frederick, Md., said Friday that its second-quarter earnings rose nearly 140% from the same period last year, to $448,000, due to improved credit quality and sharply lower deposit costs.

Wayne Savings Bancshares (WAYN) in Wooster, Ohio, is exiting the trust business and transferring its $40 million of trust assets to Thomasville Bancshares in Georgia.

In a recent survey conducted by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, only one bank — Bank of America (BAC) — was ranked among the top 15 most-hated companies and, for the second straight year, no banks ranked among the top 10.

An investment management firm now owned by Wells Fargo (WFC) has agreed to pay $25 million to settle claims that it misled investors about the makeup of a mutual fund it once marketed.

Solera National Bank in Lakewood, Colo., has been freed from a consent order under which it had been operating for more than two years.

Pacific Premier Bancorp (PPBI) in Costa Mesa, Calif., is considering raising up to $50 million in fresh capital so it can make more acquisitions if and when opportunities arise.

Roma Financial (ROMA) in Robbinsville, N.J., announced late Monday that its president and chief executive, Peter Inverso, will step down next year and that its board will form a search committee to find a replacement.

Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna, Va., has established a commercial loan participation program in which it will buy business loans from other credit unions that are nearing their cap on business lending.

Sterling Financial (STSA) in Spokane, Wash., is selling all of its Montana branches as it aims to become more efficient and improve its overall profits. Eagle Bancorp is buying the branches for $7.3 million.

Seeking to diversify following its public offering in May, EverBank Financial (EVER) in Jacksonville, Fla., announced Monday that it is buying a commercial lending unit from GE Capital for $2.5 billion in cash.

A Virginia Beach investment group has pulled the plug on its plan to buy a struggling bank in the Washington, D.C., suburbs.

SecondMarket's pilot program to create a market for hard-to-sell stock.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has ordered Village Bank and Trust Financial in Midlothian, Va., to serve as a source of strength for its ailing bank subsidiary.

Though loan competition remains fierce, most banks are unwilling to relax their underwriting policies until the economy heals.

Trustmark Corporation (TRMK) in Jackson, Miss., announced Wednesday that it is selling eight mutual funds with roughly $903 million of assets to Federated Investors (FII) of Pittsburgh and its subsidiaries.