Community banks, by and large, appear well-prepared for capital standards that Basel II will phase in beginning in January. Still, concerns remain on how the requirements will shape cost structures and consolidation at smaller institutions.

First Farmers Financial in Converse, Ind., has agreed to buy three community banks in Illinois.

Xenith Bankshares in Richmond, Va., has brought in nearly $18 million in funding through a private placement and a new loan.

CNB in Centreville, Md., has named Edward Allen president and chief executive, following the resignation of its current CEO, F. Winfield Trice.

The CFPB's lawsuit against an Atlanta-area debt collector could open the door to litigation against banks for their role in the process of pursuing debts against consumers who do not owe anything.

Lenders desperately want to make potentially lucrative home loans to those with less-than-stellar credit, but only a few are willing to try given legal uncertainties. Here's how a few are designing their products to get a jump on the competition.

Doral Financial in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has sold more loans in a move that will deplete capital but bolster the company's liquidity.

Doral Financial said the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has found it to be "significantly undercapitalized" and is requiring the company fix the problem immediately.

As the industry turns to online-only banking and partnerships with third-party retail distributors, it's getting harder to use geographical boundaries to define the communities that banks serve. That's why the CRA needs an update.

Somali-Americans who send cash home to their relatives can breathe a bit easier following the decision by Merchants Bank of California.

Community banks in the region are getting better, but the hunt for short-term income could bite them down the road, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said in its quarterly report.

Credit unions have shown that a chance to win a prize helps motivate consumers to save. However, U.S. regulations have stymied many banks from offering lottery-style savings programs, and efforts are increasing to make the necessary changes to federal and state laws.

A former employee wants the company to look at a merger of equals or selling its wealth management operations to increase shareholder value. Management, meanwhile, wants to grow in a way that diversifies income and reduces risk.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has agreed to buy Mackinac Savings Bank in Boynton Beach, Fla.

Bob Beauprez, a former community banker and Republican congressman, is challenging incumbent John Hickenlooper in Colorado's gubernatorial race. A pro-Hickenlooper group has released ads attacking Beauprez's banking ties, including the sale of his bank to First Community Bank in Taos, N.M. That bank failed in 2011.

It's becoming easier for Americans with low credit scores to get a credit card, according to a new report. The industry contracted sharply during the recession.

The Federal Reserve and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors recently held their second annual conference dedicated to community bank research. Here are some of the important studies and reform ideas discussed during the two-day event in St. Louis.

The $3.2 billion-asset HomeStreet will pay $128 million in stock for the $870 million-asset Simplicity, the companies said in a press release Monday.

ICANN, the governing body for Internet domain names, has given fTLD Registry Services the authority to operate the ".bank" domain name.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has ordered Merrick Bank in South Jordan, Utah, to pay $16.1 million to settle charges related to the marketing of a credit card add-on product.