Bank marketing was once largely a function of architecture. More than anything else, customers were looking for safety and solidity and banks sought to convey those concepts through their buildings. Today, with branch traffic steadily declining, bank marketing is reinventing itself as chief marketing officers — a relatively new title in the industry — face unprecedented challenges and opportunities.

The U.S. Postal Service strongly criticized a recommendation from its inspector general that the agency expand remittances, check cashing and other banking services. The services would be potentially riskier and costlier than the impression left by IG David Williams' report, the USPS said.

Fifth Third Bancorp's new advanced cash-vault product is being rapidly adopted by the bank's clients, the Cincinnati Business Courier reported.

Rep. Edward Royce, R-Calif., urged fellow House members Wednesday to support a Senate proposal that would make significant reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

BB&T has received regulatory approval for its acquisition of Bank of Kentucky Financial, with the Federal Reserve providing a blueprint for approvals of future deals.

The CFPB gave little ground in its pledge Wednesday to be "sensitive" to lenders that make a "good-faith effort" to comply with new mortgage disclosure rules that go into effect in August. The agency's statements fell short of a formal grace period that the industry and lawmakers had been demanding.

Democrats in the House and Senate have banded together around a regulatory relief bill for community banks, a response to broader reforms proposed by Republicans to roll back parts of the Dodd-Frank Act.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will prioritize requests for temporary office space and waive certain document-filing rules for Texas and Oklahoma banks affected by recent storms.

Blue Valley Ban Corp. in Overland Park, Kan., has agreed to acquire a branch in its hometown owned by The Federal Savings Bank in Chicago.

With New York's framework for regulating digital currency now final, a looming question is whether other states such as California will follow suit.

First National Bank Alaska in Anchorage has appointed Betsy Lawer as chairwoman.

WSFS Bank has teamed up with ZenBanx, a fintech startup founded by a pioneer of direct banking, Arkadi Kuhlmann. WSFS will be the first in the U.S. to power a mobile account that lets users park money in up to five currencies and send remittances. The partnership is the latest example of a traditional bank trying to inject innovation into its culture.

U.S. Bank in Minneapolis has updated its mobile corporate payments app with features that allow the use of virtual card accounts — single-use, cardless accounts through which a users are given a temporary 16-digit number with which to make a payment.

An investment bank cautioned Bank of the Ozarks that its target, Bank of the Carolinas, was in talks with another suitor and "did not wish to jeopardize that transaction," a filing disclosed. The Arkansas acquirer pushed on and ended up walking away with the deal less than two months later.

ATM management company Dolphin Debit has placed large, drive-up ATMs at Murphy USA fuel stations, adjacent to Walmart stores, for credit unions in Mississippi and Texas.

Lenders are reporting stronger demand for commercial and private lending over the past two months, according to a report released Wednesday by the Federal Reserve Board, continuing a trend of mild-to-moderate improvement in banking fundamentals in recent quarters.

t's no grace period, but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is working placate lender fears of hasty enforcement of its new integrated disclosure rules.

MasterCard has formed an alliance with a Somalian bank to issue debit cards in the last African market aside from nations under sanctions where it wasn't present.

American Banker dug into its archives for photos of some of the most influential banking figures of the 20th century, from the regulators who managed the 1980s savings-and-loan crisis to the visionaries who created the modern megabank. Hungry for more? Check out our previous slideshow, "Blasts from America's Banking Past."

Regulators have made great strides in recent years in crafting responsible underwriting guidelines, developing servicing standards and eliminating products and practices to ensure long-term success for homeowners. But there is a debate as to how best to increase access to credit for qualified borrowers.