Establishing mentoring programs and better employee communication, drawing on the expertise of nonfinancial companies and holding special events aimed at women business owners are some of the ways banks can develop more women executives and clients.

Expense related to failed bank deals weighed on Simmons First National (SFNC) in Pine Bluff, Ark., in the first quarter.

Bank of the West's Andy Harmening discusses the advantages of being owned by France's BNP Paribas. "For us, it's been a very positive relationship," he says. Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head, spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

Washington's star-crossed mortgage foreclosure settlement suffered yet another setback this week when checks belatedly sent out to homeowners bounced. The troubles that have plagued the program from start to finish raise a number of broader questions. Among them: whether regulators' fondness for complex solutions is itself a recipe for failure and whether the foreclosure settlement's litany of troubles will lead to concrete policy changes.

Fee income and securities sales lifted Lakeland Bancorp (LBAI) in Oak Ridge, N.J., in the first quarter.

Fifth Third Bancorp's (FITB) quarterly profit declined slightly as improvements in credit quality nearly balanced declining interest income and fee income.

Lower yields weighed on People's United Financial (PBCT) in Bridgeport, Conn., in the first quarter.

The settlement, which follows an earlier deal with market leader Assurant, will prevent the insurers from giving banks commissions, free services, and reinsurance deals in order to win their business.

Fees from residential refinancings propelled Sandy Spring Bancorp (SASR) in Olney, Md., in the first quarter.

BB&T announced Thursday that it earned $210 million in the first quarter, compared with $431 million a year earlier, as it took a $281 million charge related to a tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service.

KeyCorp (KEY) posted double-digit growth in its commercial and industrial loan portfolio and its earnings rose in the first quarter.

But large banks have narrowed the gap as they have made a more concerted effort to better explain their fee structures to disgruntled customers.

ABERDEEN, Md. – APG FCU, formerly Aberdeen Proving Grounds FCU, will open two loan centers in Cecil County next month, in Elk Mills and Rising Sun.

Steve Antonakes, the No.2 at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, spent an hour with bankers on Wednesday attempting to ease concerns about impending mortgage rules and the examinations that will follow.

Astoria Financial (AF) in Lake Success, N.Y., boosted its quarterly profit nearly 40% by reining in costs.

U.S. Bancorp (USB) is about to add a service for Somali immigrants in the U.S.

Umpqua Holdings (UMPQ) in Portland, Ore., missed its quarterly earnings expectations because of margin pressure.

American Express (AXP) on Wednesday reported earnings of $1.3 billion in the first quarter of the year, aided by aggressive cost-control efforts and by high repayment rates on its credit cards.

Fee income lifted first-quarter profits at Wintrust Financial (WTFC) in Rosemont, Ill.

Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) will pay $16 million to settle long-standing charges that it misled investors about its financial condition on the eve of the mortgage meltdown.