Chris Cumming

Regulators have ordered Fulton Financial (FULT) in Lancaster, Pa., to strengthen its Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering controls.

A community group has succeeded in forcing additional scrutiny of Banc of California's (BANC) expansion plans.

People's United in Bridgeport, Conn., has started a payments firm in partnership with Vantiv in a move that aided the company's quarterly results.

People's United (PBCT) in Bridgeport, Conn., has started a payments firm in partnership with Vantiv in a move that aided the company's quarterly results.

The ongoing search for expense cuts continues, as investors wonder why regional banks such as KeyCorp, Fifth Third, Webster Financial and M&T aren't cutting more and faster.

Webster Financial (WBS) in Waterbury, Conn., reported higher quarterly earnings but missed its earnings targets as mortgage-banking fees declined more than expected.

A community group opposes Banc of California's plans to buy 20 branches, saying management isn't being open about plans to serve low-income and minority customers. The bank says it’s all a misunderstanding. Still, the issue shows why banks must foster good relations with powerful advocacy groups.

The industry is slowly turning to valuations based on earnings rather than tangible book value, raising concerns that banks might feel pressure to make short-term decisions and ill-fated acquisitions.

Dozens of insurers have sold off their banks in recent years, with just a handful choosing to remain in the business. Mutual of Omaha Bank is committed to building a traditional community banking culture with its parent company's backing.

Debt-burdened holding companies are more often resorting to selling their banks through bankruptcy sales, which is welcome news for lawyers, investment banks and advisors that can earn millions working on such transactions. But such fees have rankled creditors.

FMB Bancshares in Georgia has become the second banking company to get pulled into involuntary bankruptcy after defaulting on trust-preferred dividends. Meanwhile, BNY Mellon is taking steps that could make it easier for more investors to force banks into bankruptcy.

Bank of the Ozarks recently overhauled how it awards bonuses after a big dip in shareholder approval, showing how much weight some banks place on the nonbinding measures and how proxy-advisors can swing the vote.

Midtier banks desperate for earnings growth will have to wait until interest rates rise, a report from Fitch Ratings says.

A growing number of community banks are adopting bank-owned life insurance as a way to counter shrinking loan margins and diminished returns on other investments. BOLI can also help banks that are trying to meet higher capital requirements.

Six directors resigned after the company contested an activist investor's successful effort to wrest board control. As a court battle looms and regulators watch, the company could struggle to find replacement directors.

The Interest-Rate Crystal Ball; Citi Exodus; Argentine Debt Drama

Six directors at Solera National Bancorp (SLRK) have resigned as the Lakewood, Colo., company remains embroiled in a messy public struggle with its biggest investor.

Smaller banks face a tricky choice with jumbo loans: hold them and face rate risk, or sell them to a bigger bank and risk losing a customer. An unusual arrangement between the FHLB and a REIT could offer community banks a better route.

Since the recession, banks have gradually reinvested more and more of their liquidity in securities. A handful have taken this trend to the extreme, putting nearly all of their deposits into investments and lending almost nothing. While delivering consistent, low-risk profits, the model faces pressure from regulators and the economy.

Loan demand seems to be returning, but not fast enough for many bankers and their investors. Bankers discuss the various things holding back a return to blow-out quarters of loan growth.