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.

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., posted a double-digit gain in its first-quarter profit as strong revenue growth more than offset continued deterioration in its energy-loan portfolio.

More than bitcoin, blockchain is interfering with the margins and business models of the finance world. The technology is also challenging our banking institutions’ longstanding platform as intermediaries.

Even while the FHFA finally embarked on a principal reduction plan, critics argued it was a dangerous idea that made Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac less safe while helping relatively few people.

WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill 247-171 on Thursday that would raise the threshold for a Federal Reserve Board exemption that helps banks raise Tier 1 capital.

Community Bank in Pasadena, Calif., has promoted from within to fill the positions of president and chief banking officer.

David Bohne was the president of a big, successful bank until he took a year off to clear his head. When he was ready to return, he looked at banks across the country but found what he needed in a small, family-run institution right in his hometown.

Washington Federal in Seattle said its profit rose 3.4% to $41.7 million in the three months that ended March 31 as loan growth outweighed higher information technology costs.

Bank earnings season is just getting underway, but a consistent theme around energy lending is already emerging — credit quality is going to get worse and weigh on profits the rest of the year.

West Shore Bank Corp. in Ludington, Mich., has agreed to buy West Michigan Bank & Trust in Frankfort.

Airbnb, the company that disrupted the hospitality industry as Uber did to taxis, is sidling up to the fintech space.

An Arkansas woman is alleging in a lawsuit that debt buyer PRA Group froze her bank account to try to collect $43,200 in interest on a $6,000 judgment that was less than two months old.

DBA International has elected Todd Lansky as president of the association's board of directors. He replaces Patricia Baxter, who has been a board member since 2013 before resigning this week.

FHFA Director Mel Watt acknowledged that the principal reduction program may seem "too small and too late."

Young college graduates, including those who are still paying off student loans, are more likely to buy a home than their peers who did not go to college, according to a report from Navient and Ipsos.

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles reported higher quarterly profit led by its acquisition of Square 1 Financial in Durham, N.C.

The hardest part of converting a thrift is establishing a "culture of high performance" and shareholder accountability, says Andrew Samuel, CEO at Sunshine Bancorp, in Plant City, Fla. Sunshine converted to a stock-owned company in July 2014.

Rather than rush its proposal to regulate short-term lenders, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should carefully weigh the consequences of potentially driving lenders out of the market.

Profits soared at First Republic Bank in San Francisco thanks to lending growth in several categories and its expansion in wealth management.

A month after introducing the Express Business Loan for its customers, Eastern Bank in Boston says it is in talks with several banks across the U.S. to license the product.