Kristin Broughton

They spent their formative years analyzing balance sheets saddled with problem assets. They watched their mentors struggle to keep their banks afloat through the crisis. And they took good notes.

The regulator is monitoring pricing, along with loan covenants and repayment schedules, as bankers compete for loans. Several bankers have noted recently that paydowns rose in the first quarter as competitors dangled relaxed terms to steal clients.

Ocwen Financial and Assurant have reached an agreement to settle charges that the embattled mortgage servicer profited from kickbacks on force-placed insurance policies with struggling homeowners.

Low interest rates may be pressuring margins, but they provided a lift to community banks that sell mortgage originations. Bankers are now debating how long the current refi boom will last.

BB&T Corp. in Winston-Salem, N.C., reported a drop in profit as revenue failed to live up to analysts' expectations.

The banking company is the latest to flirt with a threshold that promises added regulatory burden. But a pause from more acquisitions should also give management a chance to brush up on deal integration before making an even larger acquisition.

Customers are dodging deposit fees by hanging onto their extra cash and using apps to more frequently check their balances, denying banks crucial noninterest income.

TCF Financial in Wayzata, Minn., reported lower profits because of a decline in fee income and flat performance in its loan book.

First Republic Bank reported higher quarterly profit, though loan growth pushed the San Francisco company above $50 billion in assets.

More than 70 banks are set to hit their seventh anniversary this year, crossing a threshold where they will have reduced regulatory scrutiny and relaxed capital ratios. While many are excited about the potential to growth, they are aiming to do so carefully.

The state's banking lobby is opposing a bill that would make it easier for thrifts to hold municipal deposits because the proposal would also let credit unions go after the same business.

As digital technology has reshaped the acquiring business, some of the industry's biggest names are making splashy investments in mobile payments and merchant marketing.

While Apple Pay has won the buzz war since its launch in October, Samsung’s mobile payment initiative is poised for higher use at retailers, according to Mike Cook, a senior vice president and assistant treasurer at Wal-Mart Stores.

While a number of community banks are preparing for lock horns with dissident shareholders, a bank in Indiana managed to work with an activist to avoid a nasty brouhaha.

Women bankers who want a family and a fulfilling career should focus on building a strong support system outside of work, or else opportunities will pass them by, according to panel of senior women executives at HSBC.

Reliance Bancshares is also talking to Tim Hortons about anchoring some of its branches, in hopes that coffee traffic will bring more business into its underutilized offices.

New York's Amalgamated Bank is hoping to do more business with political action committee and left-leaning customers as its retail business shrinks.

BlackRock has hired Andrew Marquardt as a managing director in its financial markets advisory group.

The Conference of State Bank Supervisors wants Congress to adopt a formal community bank definition, based on qualitative factors such as local governance structure and business models.

The California company has poached lenders from larger rivals, while expanding into specialty finance lines. Those moves have positioned Opus for a growth spurt that should outpace organic growth at most other community banks.