BBVA Compass' prominent NBA sponsorship, game-changing core platform upgrade and high-tech new headquarters tower-deep within the heart of its Texas base of U.S. banking operations-have opened a new playbook for the Spanish-owned franchise. Its futuristic banking model is attracting the spotlight and giving it the means to grow both in and out of its branch footprint.

The 61-year-old former Sovereign Bancorp CEO is back doing what he's known for in banking: building a franchise and stirring up controversy.

Capitol Bancorp (CBCRQ) has lost another bank after regulators closed its Sunrise Bank of Arizona on Friday.

Community South Bank in Parsons was shut down by Tennessee regulators Friday.

HopFed Bancorp (HFBC) in Hopkinsville, Ky., and Sumner Bank & Trust in Gallatin, Tenn., have terminated plans to merge.

EverBank Financial (EVER) has reached a $43 million settlement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in connection with allegations of improper foreclosure practices.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for help in catching the so-called Loan Ranger Bandit, the agency announced on its website Friday.

BitPay Inc., a Bitcoin payment gateway for online merchants, has created a simplified interface for consumers and added several plugins to encourage more merchants to accept the virtual currency without writing new code.

The Great Recession allowed banks to gain ground on the finance arms of automakers. Now they're making investments aimed at keeping that edge.

The regional banks face a False Claims Act probe by the departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development into how they originated FHA-insured loans. Large fines may follow.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

A top official in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement office has left the agency to join an online lender in California.

Rising interest rates slowed refinancing demand and whet homebuyers' appetites for adjustable-rate mortgages in July, according to Ellie Mae's monthly survey of mortgage loan applications.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is charging Fifth Third with discriminating against a couple with disabilities who were attempting to refinance their mortgage.

Banks and credit unions are squaring off on the social media front over a Depression-era law that exempts credit unions from federal income taxes.

Bankers and other lenders are all but begging for more time to implement the qualified mortgage and other pending CFPB regulations, arguing that the Jan. 10 deadline gives them insufficient time to prepare.

M&T Bank is expected to complete its purchase of Hudson City Bancorp despite unexpected regulatory issues. But an analyst had fun speculating about who might step in as the buyer if that deal collapsed.

The Federal Reserve has approved a capital plan that was re-submitted by BB&T Corp. of Winston-Salem, N.C., the regulator announced Friday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), the biggest U.S. bank by assets, would be worth 30 percent more if broken into its four business segments, an unlikely scenario, an analyst at Stifel Financial Corp. (SF)'s KBW unit said.