Four Oaks Fincorp (FOFN) in Four Oaks, N.C., and its bank have agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle claims they ignored warning signs of a scheme to defraud customers.

Old National Bancorp says it learned its lesson from the recent defection of some important lenders from a bank it agreed to buy last fall, and it incorporated those in structuring its deal announced this week for United Bancorp.

The nation's largest bank may be dealing with a never-ending run of bad press, but analysts say its fundamentals are sound and still trades at a discount to its peers. They also predict a strong year for banks in the $5 billion to $10 billion range, particularly South Carolina's First Financial Holdings.

The qualified-mortgage rule, reduced refi activity and ongoing commoditization are forcing smaller institutions to take a hard look at exiting the mortgage origination business.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC would be open to takeover offers for its U.S. subsidiary as it prepares the division for an initial public offering this year, the unit's chief executive officer said.

Legacy Bank of Florida in Boca Raton has raised more than $6.7 million from a common stock offering.

Community banks should let big banks take the lead on technology R&D, learn to quickly copy the best of what they come up with and outdo them on customer service, say executives of Rockville Bank, including its new virtual banking chief, Donna Patel.

If regulators want to limit the damage in Main Street communities, they should completely exempt Trups CDOs from the Volcker Rule. This would avoid needless writedowns without putting Main Street communities at financial risk.

JPMorgan Chase is making birthday wishes a high-tech art form for its customers.

Big banks have gotten an unfair rap and regulators an unjustified free pass since the financial crisis -- so argues longtime banking industry analyst Richard X. Bove in a new book. The outspoken Bove, now with Rafferty Capital Equity Research, tells American Banker why he believes the Dodd-Frank Act was unnecessary and federal regulators to blame for failing to prevent the crisis.

The Dodd-Frank Act and other financial regulations enacted in the wake of the financial crisis have made banking a "worse place" by adding unwieldy and unnecessary restrictions on big banks, says Dick Bove. The longtime bank analyst also points a finger at regulators for failing to adequately enforce existing regulations in the lead-up to the crisis, a point he discusses at length, while defending big banks, in a new book.

The New York company believes that "delighting customers" with an electronic birthday greeting will translate into more business, says its executive in charge of consumer and community banking.

Neighborhood National Bank in San Diego has named a former leader of Regents Bank as its president and chief executive.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is seeking a buyer for its corporate payroll, tax refund and health-savings prepaid card business.

Visa and MasterCard have little real interest in implementing effective security because they don’t absorb fraud losses.

In an attempt to expand business in the Boston area, People's United Bank has hired a Boston-based senior vice president away from Citigroup (NYSE: C).

Coastway Bancorp in Cranston, R.I., is planning to raise roughly $48.3 million in its conversion to a 100% stock-owned company.

Banco Santander SA's U.S. consumer lender subsidiary, which originates subprime loans for new- vehicle purchases and leases, is seeking to raise as much as $1.56 billion in an initial public offering.

Zombie companies have survived on the loose monetary policy of the past few years, designed to help at-risk businesses stay afloat and keep people employed in the wake of the financial crisis. But forthcoming changes will make it hard for these firms to repay their debt.

Gains in student and auto loans fueled an increase in consumer borrowing in November, according to the latest Federal Reserve G.19 report.