It's still unclear what New York's planned "BitLicense" actually is, but the New York Department of Financial Services says its license is meant to encourage Bitcoin businesses to operate and innovate in the state.

UMB Financial (UMBF) in Kansas City, Mo., reported a big jump in profits as the company benefited from loan growth and a rise in fee income.

Lynn Harton, formerly president of The South Financial Group before it was sold several years ago, was promoted to president of United Community Bank in Georgia this week.

TCF Financial (TCB) in Wayzata, Minn., was buoyed by improved credit quality in the fourth quarter.

New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) in Westbury, N.Y., reported a dip in fourth-quarter profit as mortgage banking revenue fell, but it still but still beat analysts' expectations.

Hudson City Bancorp, the target of the biggest pending bank takeover in the U.S., said it's planning to reduce interest rate risks and that the effort will produce an unspecified loss.

When taken together, the posts in our What Customers Want series thus far point to opportunities for banks to innovate around the good old George Bailey banking model.

BOK Financial (BOKF) in Tulsa, Okla., reported lower quarterly earnings after mortgage banking revenue fell.

Branches are vital to attracting new customers and cross-selling to existing ones, but they're also expensive. Some banks, like Washington Federal (WAFD) and U.S. Bancorp (USB), continue to add branches. But most institutions are focused on pruning their networks to cut costs. Here's a sampling of how banks are adjusting branch networks to suit changing strategies.

It's still unclear what New York's planned "BitLicense" actually is, but the New York Department of Financial Services says its license is meant to encourage Bitcoin businesses to operate and innovate in the state.

President Obama used his State of the Union address Tuesday evening to call for the creation of a new government-backed retirement savings account and reiterate a call for comprehensive housing finance reform.

Total System Services CEO Phil Tomlinson took time out from discussing record revenue during the payments processor's Jan. 28th earnings call to proclaim his company safe from the slate of recent data breaches that have afflicted Target and other retailers.

National Penn Bancshares (NPBC) in Boyertown, Pa., has bought back about $75.4 million of shares from the private-equity firm Warburg Pincus.

Richard Cordray, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's normally unflappable director, reacted angrily Tuesday to suggestions by lawmakers that he and his agency do not care about borrowers who purchase manufactured housing.

Ameriana Bancorp (ASBI) in New Castle, Ind., has announced several executive changes prompted by the pending retirement of Chief Risk Officer Timothy Clark.

A study from Moebs Services, scheduled for release on Wednesday, found that from Jan. 2-10 median overdraft prices in suburban towns and small cities were surveyed at $30, compared to $29 in large cities and rural areas.

First Merchants Corporation (FRME) in Muncie, Ind., reported net income Tuesday of $11.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2013, a 10.7% increase from same period in 2012.

Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and New Zealand are among the countries where local post offices provide a wide range of banking services.

Jeanne Hulit, the acting head of the Small Business Administration, is leaving Washington behind to join Northeast Bank in Lewiston, Maine, as the president of its Northeast community banking division.

Bankers feel more optimistic about their business as crisis memories fade, and more open-minded about M&A as deal prices rise, but concerns about compliance challenges and regulators' tough reviews of merger applications are keeping their enthusiasm in check.