Victoria Finkle

Capital One and American Express posted strong gains in the first quarter. But they will need to keep an eye on cost containment to keep that momentum going.

Capital One Financial (COF) has set aside an additional $75 million in its reserve in the first quarter of 2012, saying some of its salespeople did not adhere to its practices in trying to sell additional products to credit card customers.

Small-business lending may be heating up for the most creditworthy borrowers, but gaps in that market remain, according to Small Business Administration head Karen Mills.

Sallie Krawcheck has had no trouble staying busy since leaving Bank of America. She recently joined the advisory board of Gold Bullion International and is on her way to growing a vast Twitter following.

Consumers are more disappointed with bank fees, but that frustration has been largely offset by more positive experiences at branches and ATMs, according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates.

Banks are clamoring to lend to the most creditworthy small businesses, even as credit availability remains broadly limited.

The state of Hawaii has sued seven major credit card issuers over the marketing of credit card insurance-like products, known as payment protection plans.

Bank of America has filed lawsuits against itself in a series of foreclosure-related actions that only a lawyer could love.

JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo reported surprisingly strong revenue growth on Friday, reversing the slumps of recent quarters. A pickup in mortgage banking returns helped.

Wells Fargo on Friday reiterated its plans to slash costs over the next year, but executives gave themselves flexibility to rethink those cuts later.

Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase reclassified many second mortgages as delinquent, even though they are current, because the first mortgages to which they are subordinate have already gone delinquent.

John Mack, who stepped down as Morgan Stanley CEO last year, has joined the board of Lending Club, an online lending platform.

William Lansing, who abruptly took over FICO in January, is trying to move the company beyond its embattled credit-score business.

Overdraft fees are drawing increased regulatory and legal scrutiny, but they can still pack a punch. Just ask Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) accountholder Stu Straus, who mysteriously racked up $1,555.61 in overdraft fees.

Delinquency rates in the fourth quarter of 2011 fell across all loan categories the trade group monitors, including credit cards, auto and home loans, the American Bankers Association reported on Thursday.

An April Fool's Day blog post by Movenbank founder Brett King poked fun at traditional banks, which have increasingly tried to lure customers to their branches with coffee, yoga classes and other untraditional perks.

U.S. Bancorp is pulling out of the private student loans market, as banking regulators step up their scrutiny of the products. JPMorgan Chase is also cutting back on student lending.

Core Innovation Capital, an arm of a nonprofit aimed at helping the unbanked, will devote the $45 million it raised to investments in startup financial services companies. It already has put money into SavvyMoney and Plastyc.

Regions Financial has finished unveiling a suite of alternative financial services, including check-cashing, money transfer and expedited bill pay services, along with a prepaid card.

No one can ever accuse Steve Huston of being a heartless banker. Huston, the owner of Bankwest Financial in Rockford, Minn., resuscitated Dr. Frank Anderson during a pickup basketball game in January, a local Fox News affiliate reported last week.