Farmers Capital Bank in Frankfort, Ky., has announced a plan to restructure its balance sheet.

A compliance-at-all-costs mentality, which is the overarching attitude in many banks, results in overspending and overallocating valuable resources to meet both real and perceived compliance standards.

CapStar Financial Holdings in Nashville, Tenn., expects to raise net proceeds of $16.6 million in an initial public offering that it plans to spend on growth and other initiatives — perhaps including M&A.

An independent chairman could uncover or minimize damage from fraud while also meting out punishment more impartially after the fact. The longtime corporate governance argument has new legs in light of the account scam at Wells Fargo, whose board is led by CEO John Stumpf.

Banks are dumping their mortgage servicing rights because low rates and new rules make it hard to earn a profit. SunTrust, Flagstar and First South Bancorp in North Carolina are taking the opposite view.

Wellesley Bancorp in Massachusetts has appointed New England banking veteran Kathryn Hinderhofer to its board.

The Wells Fargo scandal is more reason for officials to tighten policy on anti-tying measures to put a stop to overly aggressive sales methods.

Wells Fargo's board was accused of breaching its duty to investors in a lawsuit that also names Carrie Tolstedt, the executive whose community banking unit created unauthorized customer accounts to reap extra fees.

An unusual investment by the Minneapolis company shows how big banks are developing innovative partnerships to deliver financial services in low-income neighborhoods.

In 2010, lawmakers passed reforms to bring transparency and competition to a swipe fee market that had been devoid of both. Now, they want to undo that progress.

Brookline Bancorp in Boston has promoted its head of commercial real estate lending to leader of its entire banking unit.

Bankers generally expect loan demand to increase over the next year, but global shocks, domestic politics and regional economic variations may be prompting them to prepare for slightly slower growth than before.

JPMorgan Chase has made an equity investment of an undisclosed size in InvestCloud, a startup that provides cloud-based software to the securities industry.

First Midwest Bancorp in Itasca, Ill., is planning to shutter 16 branches in connection with its acquisition of Standard Bancshares in Hickory Hill, Ill.

Banks continue to gather ID documents manually from would-be customers, even ones who sought to open accounts online. Bringing the manual process into the digital age is the goal of several startups.

BankGuam Holding in Hagatna aims to raise $10 million through the sale of preferred stock.

The LegacyTexas Financial Group in Plano sold $50 million in debt to use for possible acquisitions and other purposes.

HomeTrust Bancshares in Asheville, N.C., is beefing up in Tennessee with a deal to acquire TriSummit Bancorp in Kingsport.

Paper-based marketing — not digital communication — remains a more promising way to reach customers 50 and older, who also tend to be a bank's wealthiest client segment.

What happens on an executive leader's watch starts and stops with that executive. That is especially true when it comes to sales and sales leadership.