Kristin Broughton

First Bancorp, OFG Bancorp and Popular Inc. have been trimming exposure to central government loans in recent years to limit their exposure to a financial crisis. Most still bank the island's municipalities, though they have strict underwriting and collateral to protect their interests.

Santander Consumer USA Holdings expects to endure more credit losses in the coming quarters, as it expands its portfolio of higher yielding, subprime loans. But its CEO sought to assure investors that its profits would far exceed those costs.

Santander Consumer USA Holdings in Dallas reported higher profits due to a spike in gains on loan sales.

The Conference of State Bank Supervisors recently challenged college students to examine how community banks survived the financial crisis, and the contest highlighted innovative strategies used by Main Street banks such as Bank of American Fork in Utah.

The Ohio company has been giving customers longer grace periods to address overdraft charges. While it has seen service charges decline, the company has been adding customers and checking accounts.

The $36.8 billion-asset bank earned $597.5 million in the second quarter, compared to a loss of $511.3 million a year earlier. Earnings per share were $5.80.

Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio, reported higher quarterly in profit that reflected higher in mortgage banking fees and steady loan growth.

A fifth of the financial institutions that participated in the Small Business Lending Fund have fully left the program and an increasing number of banks are joining them before the dividend rate jumps to 9% next year.

Clients of many community banks in Illinois can apply for short-term loans as lawmakers grapple over issuing paychecks while the state has no budget.

Deposit premiums could rise at 20% of banks with up to $10 billion in assets. Many of those banks could rethink asset concentrations that would trigger higher assessments.

The National Credit Union Administration has signed a five-year contract with the National Treasury Employees Union—which represents nearly 80% of the agency's work force.

The South Dakota company will soon be completely independent from National Australia Bank. The plan for now is to produce consistent results while scouting deals as the bank nears a key regulatory threshold.

Many in the banking industry on Friday voiced support for the Supreme Court's decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide and discussed how it would have an impact on their businesses.

After scaling back its U.S. operations, Popular Inc. plans to focus on niche commercial lending markets, including financing for elder care and assisted living facilities.

Regions Financial and U.S. Bancorp are among the institutions that are using independent filmmakers to produce high-quality videos for YouTube and other channels. Industry experts warn, however, that success is far from assured in an already crowded social media world.

The yield curve has steepened in recent weeks, but bankers caution that it could take months or years for any benefits — or risks — to become apparent in financial results.

Institutions with $5 billion to $50 billion in assets have gained a bigger slice of the industry's assets since 2010 by focusing on specialized lending and redefining their markets.

James Sills, who runs a 107-year-old bank in North Carolina, believes the key to the survival of minority-owned institutions is their ability to adapt and reach more customers. M&F Bancorp, for instance, is changing the name of its bank and recently added its first nonblack director.

Steep legal fees used to make it difficult for smaller banks to invest in renewable energy tax credits. A new fund is looking to lower the typical legal fees that have made such investments cost-prohibitive for community banks.

The U.S. Postal Service strongly criticized a recommendation from its inspector general that the agency expand remittances, check cashing and other banking services. The services would be potentially riskier and costlier than the impression left by IG David Williams' report, the USPS said.