American Founders Bank in Lexington, Ky., has agreed to sell itself to a real estate developer.

Six banks including JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have been placed under further business restrictions after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determined they had yet to fully meet regulatory orders related to the independent foreclosure review which began in 2011.

Whether you're in the mood to read about the checkered history of the Vatican Bank or how Bitcoin's colorful cast of characters endeavor to shape the future of money, there's a book to suit every taste in this year's recommended reading list. Here's what American Banker's readers, staff and BankThink contributors are taking to the beach this summer.

More than 1.5 million home buyers negatively impacted by the financial crisis could re-enter the mortgage market in the next three years, according to a study that also looked at how big of an impact the mortgage crisis had on consumer credit scores.

SmartFinancial in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., has hired a chief experience and strategy officer, ahead of its planned acquisition of Cornerstone Bancshares in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Royal Bancshares of Pennsylvania in Narberth has agreed to purchase a branch in Delaware County, Pa., from First CornerStone Bank.

Discover Financial Services will exit the residential mortgage-origination business that it acquired in 2012.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is set to revamp deposit insurance premiums to make them more risk-sensitive, targeting areas that caused institutions to fail during the financial crisis.

Beneficial Bancorp in Philadelphia has hired a former Susquehanna Bank executive as a consultant.

Discover Financial Services is closing its mortgage-origination business and will offer severance packages to about 460 employees.

A new Fifth Third social media campaign offers recent college graduates free one-on-one career counseling. The initiative is part of a trend of banks allocating marketing dollars to unusual perks and charitable giving to differentiate their brands.

Six months after rolling out new collection rules requiring collectors to - among several measures - produce loan documents or a court judgment upon request, New York regulators on Tuesday released more guidance.

Valley National Bancorp in Wayne, N.J., is planning to issue a combined $200 million in preferred stock and debt.

Steve Apodaca, who recently joined the American Bankers Association, hopes to help farmers navigate falling commodity prices, compete against the Farm Credit System and find ways to lend on new farming technology.

Six regional banks have reported their stress-test results under Dodd-Frank for the first time, projecting Tier 1 common equity ratios ranging from 8.04% to 11.4% after an economic shock. However, several also projected multimillion-dollar losses during the stressful period.

First Reliance Bancshares in Florence, S.C., is again current on its dividends tied to the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Some argue that nonbank mortgage lenders' rising market share poses a risk to the financial system. But this belief arises from an inaccurate understanding of what is in fact a well-regulated sector.

The Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund has allocated more than $3.5 billion in tax credit awards for low-income urban and rural communities.

Mechanics Bank in Walnut Creek, Calif., shook up its top leadership post following its sale to a Dallas investment group.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. unveiled a proposal Tuesday that would change the calculus used in determining assessment fees for small banks, resulting in most of those institutions paying less in premiums.