A focused strategy, executed by engaged, committed members of the board, management and staff in a culture that supports taking measured risk, sets the stage for success.

The agreement paves the way for John Palmer, a principal and co-founder of PL Capital, to join BankFinancial's board.

A retired executive at Yadkin Financial (YDKN) resigned last week in a dispute over the Elkin, N.C., company's growth strategy.

December was one of the most active months for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as it took several enforcement actions spanning from mortgage servicing to indirect auto lending. A number of cases were key milestones for the agency as it partnered with federal and state authorities as well as employed some controversial legal theories such as disparate impact. Here’s a countdown of the big cases for the month.

Recurring debit payments, in which consumers give companies their bank or card account numbers to "pull" money out for regular bills, are a jury-rigged solution for a system built in the 1970s, says consultant Dave Birch. There is no need to replicate this setup in the modernized payment system that the Federal Reserve is nudging banks to create, Birch argues. "Push" payments, which require an active step by the accountholder each and every time, are more secure and easier to manage, he says.Related:• JPMorgan, Wal-Mart Offer Starkly Different Views on Faster Payments• Message to Banks: Speed Up Payments or Fed Will Take Charge

Including the Wells settlement, Fannie has collected nearly $14 billion from eight large mortgage lenders since the start of 2013.

Bill Crawford seemed content to oversee slow and steady growth before agreeing to buy United Financial in a deal that will create a $5 billion-asset bank in the Northeast.

Commercial lending perked up after the government shutdown ended, though bankers are still having to cut deals on pricing to land business. Consumer lending continued to decelerate.

George Bailey has a lot to teach us about the ongoing basic risks faced by financial institutions.

United Community Banks (UCBI) in Blairsville, Ga., plans to redeem $180 million of stock issued under the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program along with $16.8 million of other outstanding preferred stock.

A Massachusetts community bank and a payment and banking applications provider have teamed up to capitalize on an Obamacare-assisted trend: the growing health care savings account market.

Brazil will boost levies on withdrawals abroad to restrain a widening current account deficit and prevent a six-percentage point gap in tax levels from reducing the use of credit cards.

Flagstar Bancorp (FBC) in Troy, Mich., has agreed to pay Freddie Mac $8.9 million in order to settle mortgage repurchase claims.

Americas United Bank (AUNB) in Glendale, Calif., has agreed to buy Silvergate Capital Corp.'s lone branch in Los Angeles county.

Wells Fargo & Co., the largest U.S. home lender, agreed to pay Fannie Mae $591 million to resolve repurchase demands on loans sold to the government-backed firm before Jan. 1, 2009.

In the United Kingdom, the think tank Institute for Public Policy Research revealed the most popular uses for payday loans involve everyday expenses rather than unexpected emergencies.

A compilation of the year's favorite stories, as selected by the people who assigned and edited them. Picks exclude items that appear among Top Stories of 2013, as measured by audience size.

Compliance issues and regulatory worries can prevent many banks from embracing much new technology internally - especially when it comes to the tricky waters of social media like Twitter. Frank Sorrentino III, CEO of the New Jersey community bank ConnectOne, discusses why he and his bank are so active on Twitter, and why other bankers shouldn't let worries about compliance block them from being innovative.

We revisit some of the best comments readers posted to AmericanBanker.com and BankThink.com in 2013.

United Bancorp (UBMI) in Ann Arbor, Mich., has redeemed the last of its Troubled Asset Relief Program shares.