The expansion by small credit card issuers comes as some of the biggest lenders continue to reengineer their businesses after being sideswiped during the recession, and amid weakness in consumer demand.

The mood at a consumer finance conference Friday was one of anxiety about the pace of the housing recovery, the onslaught of new rules and the federal government's long-term role in housing finance.

Consumer advocates say recent data shows that banks must do more in disadvantaged areas in cities such as New York. A closer look, however, shows improvement in certain CRA-related areas.

Why does an industry so often criticized for charging high fees to low-income consumers think it can win over critics by adding members of the 1% to the payroll?

Domenick Cama, the COO of Investors, helped honor Christopher Martin, the chairman and CEO of Provident Financial Services, at a human relations award dinner in New Jersey this week.

A survey released Friday found that business owners have become more concerned about the future health of their firms — perhaps because of fears about the fiscal cliff.

Plenty of bankers want to buy another bank, but few plan to sell, according to a new survey. And there are other obstacles.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. doled out 13 consent orders to banks in October. The latest batch, disclosed by the FDIC on Thursday, included banks in across the country, including areas hardest hit by the downturn such as California, Florida, Georgia and Illinois.

NCAL Bancorp (NCAL) in Los Angeles is selling one of its five branches to a neighboring bank.

Small banks face a tough outlook for 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns credit reporting firms, Barney Frank's impact on banking.

Lake Shore Bancorp (LSBK) in Dunkirk, N.Y., has purchased a former First Niagara Bank branch in Snyder, N.Y.

Umpqua Bank continues to expand its real estate business in the Pacific Northwest with the addition of a new homebuilder finance group.

Banks today are struggling to pull together complaints data from multiple sources for analysis, resolution and reporting. There is also the challenge of interacting with customers, especially when something goes wrong.

FDIC board member Thomas Hoenig proposes corresponding a bank's required capital minimum to its Camels rating and subjecting big banks to more detailed exams.

Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) has extended the contract of Chief Executive Stephen Steinour by three years, through the end of 2016, the Columbus, Ohio, company said Thursday.

The average credit union is billions of dollars smaller than the behemoth banks. And the overall quality of credit union business loans is much higher than that of bank commercial loans.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated an enforcement action against Johnson Financial Group in Racine, Wis.

Regulators sought to assure lawmakers and financial institutions on Thursday that they would weigh potential conflicts from a slew of proposed mortgage regulations due out shortly as they finalize Basel III capital and liquidity rules.

Wintrust Financial would sell the $161 million in deposits and three branches it bought from the failed Second Federal Savings and Loan to a credit union. Regulators will OK such deals under the right conditions, experts say.

Sales of homes in contract hit their highest level in more than five years last month, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday, adding to signs of a strengthening market.