Flushing Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., reported higher quarterly earnings driven by securities gains and improved asset quality.

FirstMerit in Akron, Ohio, reported higher quarterly profit that met Wall Street expectations despite margin pressure.

South State Corp. in Columbia, S.C., struggled to increase earnings but held expenses in check after a major acquisition.

Board members at smaller banks tend to dismiss the importance of the annual self-assessment process. But as board governance attracts growing regulatory scrutiny, directors should embrace the chance to identify areas for improvement.

Americans pay three times more in medical debt to collection agencies than they pay for credit card and bank debt combined, according to a study by NerdWallet Health.

The mortgage industry has to prepare for a new breed of salesperson in millennials - that's if they can get them interested in the first place.

Arthur Levitt, a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has been named an adviser to two bitcoin companies.

Wells Fargo plans to rebrand Burdale Financial, the asset-based lender it purchased nearly three years ago from the Bank of Ireland.

S&T Bancorp in Indiana, Pa., reported higher quarterly profit that benefited from loan growth and improved asset quality.

Cheviot Financial in Cincinnati has agreed to add a director recommended by activist investor Seidman Group.

Housing policy needs to be refocused on strengthening household balance sheets, especially by making borrowersmore resilient to home price declines. A new 15-year fixed-rate mortgage that allows borrowers to use the down payment to buy down the interest rate on the loan is designed to do just that.

First Guaranty Bancshares in Hammond, La., has filed for a $75 million initial public offering.

Overall, U.S. residential properties - including single-family homes, condominiums and townhouses - sold at an estimated annual pace of 4.4 million in September.

A company that sold credit and debit card payment processing services has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it used deception and unsubstantiated claims.

Retail ATM operator Cardtronics Inc. is testing a system that takes location-based offers, which are typically linked to a card account or a mobile app, and makes them available to consumers who may prefer to pay with cash.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision Friday, ruling debt buyer Portfolio Recovery Associates violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act when it sought to collect interest charges on a credit card debt.

Bank of Hawaii in Honolulu reported higher quarterly profit due to strong loan growth.

The agency is now using Fincen guidance that was designed to make banks and credit unions more comfortable with the pot industry's risks. Such actions are encouraging more banks — but still not many — to do business with this emerging industry.

Iberiabank is excited to add equipment finance and an SBA lending platform when it buys Old Florida Bancshares. The deal also gives the Louisiana company its first branches in Orlando.

Profits rose at Bridge Bancorp in Bridgehampton, N.Y., on strong loan growth. The $2.2 billion-asset reported net income of $4.9 million in the third quarter, up 56% from a year earlier.