SunTrust Banks in Atlanta reported higher third-quarter earnings on improved fee income from its investment banking unit, mortgages and card fees.

First Niagara Financial in Buffalo, N.Y., plans to close 17 branches and two drive-through locations in January.

Congress and banking agencies should seize the opportunity to eliminate unnecessary and outdated requirements.

Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio, reported lower third-quarter earnings despite an uptick in revenue. The culprit was its nearly $23 million in special expenses.

Morgan Stanley reported earnings that almost doubled, beating analysts' estimates, on a 9 percent jump in revenue from trading stocks and bonds.

A New York federal judge erred in ruling a collection agency did not violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, an appeals court ruled Thursday.

Bitcoin adopters in Ohio have been some of the most vocal about how state laws need to evolve to encourage the use of digital currency, but the Ohio government seems to want that change to come from the courts rather than the legislature.

Associated Banc-Corp in Green Bay, Wis., produced strong loan growth and other results in the third quarter that analysts said outshone some of its peers.

Wintrust Financial in Rosemont, Ill., reported third-quarter earnings of $40.2 million, as increases in interest and fee income were partially offset by heavier expenses.

The Obama administration is pushing to ease access to mortgage credit, particularly for first-time homebuyers, but it doesn't appear likely it will employ one of its most readily available tools.

Capital One Financial reported flat third-quarter earnings Thursday as rising loss provisions offset modest loan growth.

The $1.1 billion-asset Starion did not disclose the terms of its deal for WPS Community, a federally chartered thrift with $98 million in assets.

AmericanWest is buying Bank of Sacramento for $60 million in cash. Although the deal was being negotiated well before the recent market sell-off, it serves as a good example of the comfort of a fixed cash price.

Although Congress may soon tackle whether to raise the $50 billion "systemic" threshold for banks, First Republic CEO James Herbert says the bank must still invest heavily in hiring the necessary staff to help it deal with the additional regulation from such a designation.

The lackluster earnings season for regional banks continued. Executives at Fifth Third and BB&T shared concerns about margin shrinkage and other forces beyond their control, and they provided contrasts in expense control and management of interest rate uncertainty.

Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser says his department is working with the federal banking agencies to ease banks' fears about serving foreign remittance providers.

Rodney Martin Jr., Voya Financial's chairman and CEO, said he has decided to oversee the Retirement Solutions division himself. As a result, Maliz Beams, the CEO of that division, has left the company.

Raj Vig, president of business development company TCP Capital, discusses the crowded landscape in middle-market lending, regulators' concerns and how nonbanks and banks can sometimes work together.

Acquisitions buoyed third-quarter earnings at Home BancShares in Conway, Ark. The $7.2 billion-asset company reported Thursday that it earned $27.4 million, up roughly 49% from a year earlier.

Capital Bank Financial Corp. in Coral Gables, Fla., reported higher third quarter earnings driven by lower expenses and asset quality improvements.