WASHINGTON — Changes in overall loan balances were muted in the last six weeks of 2013, with bankers in some regions reporting minor growth and those in other parts of the country seeing volume remain stagnant, the Federal Reserve Board said Wednesday.

Bank of America's chief executive, Brian Moynihan, has come under withering criticism the past few years from skeptics who doubted he could right the ship. After the company reported solid fourth-quarter profits Wednesday, some former doubters appeared to be altering their views.

Customers Bancorp and CMS called off their merger and are fighting over whether Customers owes a $1 million breakup fee. Emotions run high in these cases, but bank execs need to learn to avoid such distractions to protect long-term growth strategies, experts warn.

The American Bankers Association announced Wednesday that it will drop its request for emergency relief in pending litigation over the Volcker Rule, but declined to stop the suit entirely.

Policymakers say they want to bring "underbanked" groups into the traditional banking system for safer consumer options, small-business growth, a sound banking system and other laudable reasons. But today's rules and aggressive enforcement work against these goals.

The company paid out billions to settle mortgage issue, cut jobs and shed a noncore business. Investors hope those moves will position SunTrust for a solid 2014.

RBS Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., has appointed Tony Di lorio, a former chief financial officer for Deutsche Bank, to its board of directors.

TD Bank is launching a new prepaid card to let parents monitor their teens' spending while easing young adults into financial independence.

Terms of a settlement between Apple Inc. and the Federal Trade Commission require Apple to provide full refunds to consumers, paying a minimum of $32.5 million, to settle charges that it billed consumers for millions of dollars of charges incurred by children in kids’ mobile apps without their parents’ consent.

President Barack Obama plans to nominate Maria Contreras-Sweet, founder of a Latino-owned community bank in Los Angeles, as the next head of the Small Business Administration, according to multiple news reports.

If retailers want to reap the rewards of consumer sales, they should also take an active role in protecting their data.

Regions Financial (RF) is discontinuing its controversial short-term consumer loan product, the company announced Wednesday.

Fidelity Homestead Savings Bank in New Orleans has acquired regional mortgage lender NOLA Lending.

The two largest U.S. home lenders are feeling the bite of competition from smaller firms as mortgage originations tumble at the fastest rate since 2011.

The chief risk officer of EverBank Financial (EVER) in Jacksonville, Fla., is stepping down.

After losing a football-related bet with his San Francisco counterpart, Charlotte market president Charles Bowman tweeted a picture of himself dressed as the 49ers' mascot.

With no more lines and far more banks to choose from, I want the one I select to handle my exceptional transactions exceptionally. I want to leave my bank knowing that my visit was and always will be worthwhile.

Bank employees may have profited by trading ahead of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac swap orders, Reuters reported, citing a description of the practice in a Federal Bureau of Investigation intelligence bulletin.

Great Southern Bancorp (GSBC) in Springfield, Mo., has agreed to buy two branches from Boulevard Bank in Neosho, Mo.

As competition for home loans heats up, lenders are moving further down the credit curve in order to win business.