Jefferson Bancorp in Lutherville, Md., has received regulatory approval to buy Carrollton Bancorp (CRRB) in Columbia, Md.

In an abrupt policy announcement, the Federal Housing Finance Agency declared Tuesday plans to ban force-placed insurance commissions even before its own industry review is complete.

A unit of Fentura Financial (FETM) in Fenton, Mich., has been freed from a regulatory order from Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the State of Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation.

Provident New York Bancorp wants to join forces with a similarly sized bank, KBW analyst Collyn Gilbert says. But a pool crowded with rival buyers is crimping its plans.

The troubled Metropolitan Bank Group in Chicago may be getting a lifeline from a consortium of Mexican investors, Crain's Chicago Business reported.

Interest in SBA lending has picked up as the agency works to attract more lenders and borrowers by streamlining its programs.

Pacific Mercantile Bancorp (PMBC) in Costa Mesa, Calif., has named a credit-risk consultant and former Comerica (CMA) executive to its board.

Social Finance, a San Francisco-based company that offers student loans, announced Tuesday that it has secured a $60 million line of credit from Morgan Stanley.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated an enforcement action against East Dubuque Bancshares in Illinois and its bank.

Bankers these days face the prospect of getting penalized for everything from "disparate impact" to the actions of auto dealers and other third-party partners. That raises the question of whether such regulation is effective, enforceable or fair.

American Express is making its Bluebird prepaid card an even closer competitor to banks by adding FDIC insurance and increasing account limits to the prepaid card.

Almost three quarters of America's 50 largest credit unions offer free checking accounts with no strings, Bankrate.com found in a recent survey.

M&T Bank (MTB) will take over the lease at a Buffalo-area mortgage facility that Bank of America (BAC) plans to close this spring, according to a report.

A recent wave of high-profile executive departures highlights the need for boards to regularly review succession plans and develop future leaders in an environment where top-level talent is limited.

The difference between board members with hands-on banking, compliance and technology knowledge and board members without can mean the difference between a bank's success and failure.

Chief executive jobs become available all the time at banks of various sizes. Here is a pool of hot candidates, based on discussions with executive recruiters.

Yadkin Valley Financial (YAVY) in Elkin, N.C., is seeking shareholder approval for a three-to-one reverse stock split.

Sen. Tim Johnson, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is expected to announce at a press conference tomorrow that he will retire when his term ends next year.

Most of the $45 million value of 1st United Bancorp's deal for Enterprise Bancorp is a gamble by Enterprise shareholders that they can keep and collect on Enterprise's problem assets. It's a clever way to avoid a common dealbreaker.

Tim Pawlenty, the CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable, says that complying with new regulations is the foremost concern for retail bankers. He spoke with American Banker at the Best Practices in Retail Financial Services Symposium.