The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can determine nearly anything to be an unfair, deceptive or abusive act or practice, and it's more likely to do so when lenders try to take advantage of regulatory loopholes.

The $2 billion-asset holding company disclosed in a regulatory filing that its Xenith Bank reached an agreement Friday with Gateway Bank Mortgage in Wilmington, N.C., to sell certain assets to Cornerstone Home Lending, a multistate lender based in Houston.

Banks can be more effective in connecting with customers by offering them personalized communications, rather than bombarding them with general sales pitches.

Patriot National Bancorp in Stamford, Conn., disclosed in a regulatory filing that it will increase its loan-loss reserve for the quarter by nearly $2 million to reflect "information and further analysis regarding the full collectability" of a loan issue.

Wells Fargo's top risk manager in the division where bank employees are suspected of falsifying more than 2 million customer accounts has taken a leave of absence and was replaced in that role.

The subprime auto lender Santander Consumer Holdings USA has made two key leadership moves as it faces ongoing accounting problems.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is taking a harder look at how mortgage lenders treat borrowers with limited English language skills.

A former NFL quarterback is set to become next chairman of MidSouth Bancorp in Lafayette, La.

The revelations at Wells Fargo are reminder to directors that when a bank's performance is too good to be true, it likely is.

The $4 billion-asset company said in a press release Friday that the notes will bear an initial fixed interest rate at 5.1%. The debt will mature in 2026.

Carolina Premier Bank in Charlotte, N.C., has hired Don Jackson from Community One Bank in Asheboro, N.C., as director of Small Business Administration lending, a new position at the bank.

The embattled bank is under pressure to claw back bonus pay from executives. Its decision figures to have ripple effects throughout the industry.

Digital has been seen as the death knell of branches, but banks like JPMorgan, B of A and UMB are among those making the case that branches can still set banks apart from rivals provided they get leaner and offer customers a blend of tech support and financial expertise.

Banks that are heavily involved in commercial real estate lending may shy away from buying institutions with similar concentrations.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

A relatively soft summer for the banking industry softened even more in August, sending American Banker's Index of Banking Activity (IBA) to its lowest level since January.

The IBA Composite Index dipped to 53.2 in August from a 55.4 reading in July. The August reading is the second-lowest since the IBA was launched in 2012, topping only the 52.7 level posted in January of this year.

Nearly every one of the IBA's components linked to the lending business gave up ground in the month. Components that track loan applications and approvals moved lower both on the consumer and commercial sides of the business and barely held above the 50-point mark. (The IBA is a diffusion index and scores above 50 indicate expansion.)

Also noteworthy in the August data was a sharp decline in respondents' local business conditions. The score for that component, which has not flashed a contraction in the history of the index, fell to 51.0 from 56.5 in the month.

The IBA has now posted three consecutive relatively tepid scores. September's survey could resolve whether those reflect a seasonal swoon or the start of a more challenging period for the industry.

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Mixed messaging on fin tech doesn't just emanate from the halls of Congress. It can also be found at the regulatory level as well.

Unity Bancorp in Clinton, N.J., has registered to sell up to $50 million in securities over time.

The $5 billion-asset company said in a press release Thursday that due to market demand it increased the principal amount of the fixed-to-floating subordinated notes from $75 million to $100 million.

Nicolet Bankshares in Green Bay, Wis., plans to close six branches later this year following its acquisition of Baylake in Sturgeon Bay.