Increased stability among Georgia's banks also increases the odds of consolidation in the once-beleaguered state.

Outsiders were as excited as executives of the Columbus, Ga., bank after it repaid its Tarp funds, said CEO Kessel Stelling, who received scores of well-wishes.

Tompkins Financial in Ithaca, N.Y., said Thomas Rochon will become chairman after the retirement next May of James Byrnes, the $4.9 billion-asset company's founding chairman.

Shares of First NBC Bank Holdings (NBCB) in New Orleans dipped after it reported a decline in quarterly income in its first earnings report since going public in May.

Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK), HomeTrust Bancshares (HTBI), Glacier Bancorp (GCBI) and Central Valley Community Bancorp (CVCY) all announced deal completions Wednesday.

Nonbank finance companies that pulled back during the recession are actively lending again — eating away at banks' market share by offering ultralow rates and stretching out loan terms.

Wells Fargo has become the latest big bank to halt sales of delinquent credit card debt to outside collectors. The move comes as collections activities face mounting regulatory scrutiny. American Banker editors discuss the evolving landscape and what’s at stake for the industry.

We asked contributors and readers to weigh in on the types of products and services tomorrow's banks might offer. Here's what they came up with.

Banks have typically deployed mobile banking as an addendum to online banking, from both a technology and staffing perspective, with consequences to the customer experience.

Avidbank Holdings in Palo Alto, Calif., has completed the redemption of its Troubled Asset Relief Program stock.

Neff Hudson, emerging channels executive at USAA, shares his views on what banks should be doing about mobile payments.

The serial acquirer in Rosemont, Ill., announced Wednesday that it has agreed to buy the $165 million-asset Diamond Bancorp, which has a branch on Chicago's north side and three branches in its northern suburbs.

Lawmakers have authorized the Federal Housing Administration to make a narrow set of changes to its reverse mortgages program to help the troubled program avert more radical reforms later this year.

The Seattle mortgage lender's agreements to buy two small banks would give it more commercial lending expertise and put it in the company of other banks like Sterling Financial and AmericanWest that are engaged in M&A-driven makeovers.

Legislation to reform the Federal Housing Administration sailed through the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday, but the bill's future, along with that of broader, comprehensive mortgage reform, remain up in the air as Congress prepares to break for the August recess on Friday.

A federal judge's ruling on the Durbin Amendment is likely to cost the banking industry billions of dollars each year.

Center Bancorp (CNBC) in Union, N.J., has named a new chairman for its bank. The $1.6 billion-asset company also announced Wednesday that it had made its interim chief financial officer permanent.

More banks are planning to sell or spin off businesses because of Basel III, shareholder pressure and other forces, according to the Institute of International Finance and EY.

MasterCard reported profit that beat analysts' estimates as spending on credit and debit cards rose. The shares climbed.

The rapidly growing Opus Bank in Irvine, Calif., has split its commercial and retail banking operations.