Chris Cumming

The Greenville, S.C., company hired John Poelker as interim CEO and ousted its top executives less than two weeks after allegations of financial mismanagement surfaced. Poelker, known for stabilizing struggling banks, could be tasked with cleaning Certus up for a buyer.

CertusBank has terminated its top executive team, effective immediately, the $1.7 billion-asset bank announced Wednesday.

Barney Frank, Maxine Waters and nine other Democrats urged financial regulators in 2010 to consider Certus' charter as a way to create a large minority-run bank headed by managers of "unquestioned character." That bank's big problems since suggest that, at minimum, the vote of confidence was misguided.

John and Bill Wheeler went as far as giving away foreclosed properties to reduce maintenance fees and bad assets. As a result, State Bank of Countryside has returned to profitability and is ready to start lending again.

Charles M. Williams, co-chief executive of CertusBank, has quit the Greenville, S.C., company amid allegations of gross mismanagement.

First Federal and Bay View are combining similar sized institutions that have complementary infrastructure, earnings and products. Though small, the deal could serve as a model for mutuals interested in keeping their charter and culture.

Five banking executives, led by Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs and Richard Davis of U.S. Bancorp, made a career website's list of the most popular CEOs among employees.

The "dream team" of bankers who set up Greenville, S.C.-based CertusBank attracted half a billion dollars from hedge funds to buy failed banks. Lately, the focus has shifted to big losses, lavish spending and payments to a consulting firm owned by top executives.

As credit union leaders visit D.C., banks unleash a big campaign opposing their federal tax exemption.

Record profits at agriculture-focused rural banks could be coming to an end. Farm revenue is expected to decline sharply this year, and ag lenders are watching warily to see if this is a one-year blip or the start of a downturn.

The $21 billion-asset Webster has become the official bank of Yale University athletics, it announced last week. The three-year agreement will give Webster advertising and promotional opportunities at Yale sporting events and venues.

Credit unions' tax exemption looks safe again this year on Capitol Hill, but that didn't stop the American Bankers Association from mounting an intense advertising and lobbying attack that also served as rallying cry for the Credit Union National Association.

Executives at Webster Financial, Independent Bank and People's United agree that their retail operations have to change -- but the consensus stops there. Some are adding branches, some are cutting them, and they are all using new technologies in different ways.

Though it has critics, a new financial reporting method could give bankers a better read on small businesses.

BancAlliance processed its first member referral for a shared credit, providing hope that banks are starting to regain trust in each other to land bigger borrowers.

Everett Stern, who last year filed a lawsuit urging further U.S. investigation of his ex-employer HSBC, has decided to run for Congress on a platform of getting tougher on banks and cleaning up Washington.

These deals are hard to put together but are well worth it -- if management teams can get through the problems of working together. Sterne Agee's Michael Barry and Daryle DiLascia explain.

West Virginia's City Holding is content to have loan officers drive several hours to pursue lending opportunities rather than relying on aggressive M&A. Part of the approach is tied to lessons learned from a risky strategy that blew up on a previous management team in the 1990s.

Blues for Barclays; A Challenge to JPM's $13B Settlement

A little-known dissident investor wants the company to sell. Another shareholder is comfortable giving management them more time to become profitable. A key issue involves the company's deferred-tax asset.