Citigroup (C) said first-quarter profit rose 30 percent as revenue from fixed-income trading and investment banking exceeded analysts' estimates.

Banks competing for new loans can be irrational and "a little scary" in terms of pricing, says Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head at Bank of the West. He spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – 3Rivers FCU on Friday said it will be closing its Van Wert, Ohio branch on June 15 because of declining membership, fewer branch transactions, and the growing trend by members to use online banking, mobile banking and ATMs.

Sen. Barbara Boxer asked officials Friday to look into evidence that the big banks are violating the $26 billion national mortgage settlement.

BNC Bancorp (BNCN) in High Point, N.C., is remaking its executive staff with a half-dozen new appointments.

FirstMerit (FMER) in Akron, Ohio, said Friday that it has completed its purchase of Citizens Republic Bancorp in Flint, Mich.

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When the University of Michigan's basketball team advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament, Bank of Ann Arbor showed its support with billboards and social-media messages.

Special FDIC protection for losses suffered by failed-bank buyers still exists, but a better real estate market and bidders' increased confidence in their asset management skills are making it rarer.

Shareholders for M&T and Hudson City will meet next week to vote on the banks' merger, though a Fed review of M&T's anti-money-laundering compliance could throw a wrench in the works.

Bank of America Corp. must face claims by homeowners that it took kickbacks from private insurers, a judge ruled.

Some homeowners in Oklahoma are charging Bank of America (BAC) with withholding insurance payments they say are needed for property repairs.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "has been a good communicator" with the banking industry and "has done some positive things" but also has "a big job to do," says Bank of the West's Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head. Harmening discusses the advantages and pitfalls of dealing with the new regulatory agency at American Banker's annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

JPMorgan Chase kicked off the first-quarter earnings season by announcing record profits, but the results did little to inspire investor confidence in bank earnings or diminish ongoing scrutiny of the bank's business and corporate structure.

Wells Fargo (WFC) is still betting big on the mortgage market it dominates, hiring lenders and support staff and aggressively courting first-time homebuyers as refinancings wane.

Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) in Little Rock, Ark., reported higher quarterly earnings because of higher mortgage income.

Bank of the West is trying to expand its lending, even to small-business borrowers who are initially turned down for new loans, while managing risk prudently. Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head, discusses the bank's efforts to increase business but control risk. He spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

The GSE believes it can offer community banks another source of revenue by originating and selling agricultural loans.

Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan's biggest lender, plans to increase loans to energy and utility industries in the U.S. to capitalize on a recovery in the world's largest economy, President Nobuyuki Hirano said.

Flagstar Bancorp in Troy, Mich., has added two key executives: Hugh Boyle, a former chief risk officer at Washington Mutual, will have the same job at Flagstar; and Michael Flynn was hired as the company's general counsel.