Chris Cumming

A New York City bank employee is in the news for going the extra mile to ensure that a local homeless man was given a proper goodbye.

The company spent years looking in vain for the right deal at the right price before finding TF Financial. The deal adds a healthy bank and a much-needed beachhead in New Jersey, though it also pushes National Penn closer to $10 billion in assets.

A group of investment firms has forced American Bancorp. into liquidation over unpaid trust-preferred debt. Creditors have threatened to go this route before but this is the first time any have followed through, serving as an ominous precedent for the up to 300 banks in danger of defaulting on the hybrid securities.

Solera National Bancorp (SLRK) lost its proxy battle at the ballot box, though the Lakewood, Colo., company still hopes it can win in the courtroom.

Poage Bankshares (PBSK) has fended off a proxy challenge from activist investor Joseph Stilwell.

Solera National in Colorado went through a messy proxy fight with its biggest shareholder. The contest prompted the company's OCC examiner to ask for an invitation to the meeting.

A funding option reopens to smaller banks.

More community banks are offering Small Business Administration loans far beyond their local markets, hoping that the income boost outweighs the long-term risk of lending in unfamiliar regions.

Harvard Illinois Bancorp (HARI) has extended its string of victories against activist investor Joseph Stilwell.

More community banks have begun offering SBA loans nationwide, a smart strategy given improving demand and double-digit premiums in the secondary loan market. Banks moving into far-flung territories have determined that they need highly targeted strategies to be successful — as well as methods for minimizing risk.

CertusBank fired its founders for providing inaccurate budgets and for failing to devise a strategy after its failed-bank deals dried up, the Greenville, S.C., company said in court filings.

Subpoenas have been issued by South Carolina's Attorney General's Office in connection to allegations of financial mismanagement by former executives of CertusBank.

Multibank holding companies that have long resisted consolidating their banks are finally giving in. The switch can offer a range of advantages beyond improved efficiency, but choosing the right moment for a consolidation — and making sure not to spook customers — can be tricky.

Banamex Fraud Claims Jobs; ECB May Ease Policy

A founding director at Touchmark Bancshares in Georgia claims he was ousted after questioning the bank's strategy. Now he is lobbying for the company's sale.

The New York company has emerged from a regulatory order with a stated goal of branching out from a longtime focus on commercial real estate by adding specialty-lending lines. Now management is looking to leverage a huge cash buffer and strong deposit base.

CertusBank in Greenville, S.C., continues to lose money, largely because of high expenses. The $1.6 billion-asset company lost $9 million in the first quarter, according to a call report filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Wells Fargo (WFC) has set itself an ambitious target as it seeks to raise its profile among small-business customers.

Banks issued at least $12.3 billion in subordinated debt last year, far more than what they issued in any year since the financial crisis. A big factor is investor demand, which has been stimulated by a need for higher-yielding holdings.

Linda Cox, a former comptroller of First South Bank in Spartanburg, S.C., committed suicide after being questioned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation about missing funds at the bank, the Greenville News reported on Saturday.