Cap Markets

Bank of America's board approved the repurchase of as much as $800 million in shares, joining JPMorgan Chase and Capital One Financial this year in returning more capital to shareholders.

Atlantic Bancshares in Bluffton, S.C., has raised about $4 million to redeem shares issued through the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Loans outpacing GDP and the expressed optimism of CEOs on recent earnings calls are among the signs that growth figures are too good to be true.

First Resource Bank in Exton, Pa., has redeemed its remaining preferred shares tied to the Small Business Lending Fund.

Tidelands Bancshares in Mount Pleasant, S.C., has been declared in default on $18.3 million of trust-preferred securities.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco is exploring ways to use $40 million it received as part of a private-label securities settlement to support small-business development and job creation to help future homebuyers.

Ray Grace, North Carolina's banking commissioner, believes federal bank regulators should embrace charters for banks dedicated to innovation. Doing so, he said, would help the banking industry secure its spot as a "laboratory for change."

EverBank Financial in Jacksonville, Fla., plans to raise $90 million through a public offering of subordinated debt.

That is the message from North Carolina's banking commissioner and others who think the odds of preventing the rule are so low, and the amount of preparation needed to comply so great, that bankers should get real.

Not only are widening credit spreads for both banks and the companies they lend to a red flag, but the financial sector is also feeling a hit from lower energy prices.