The Lansing, Mich., company has a confirmation hearing on Dec. 4. A delay could prove costly to Capitol's survival; the state regulator has threatened to seize the company's bank in New Mexico on Dec. 20.

Taxpayers are getting a bargain by propping up the cash-strapped Federal Housing Administration.

Visa Inc., the world's largest payments network, said it will provide documents to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission after the agency asked for information on a debit-card service that may have violated the Durbin amendment.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), the biggest U.S. bank, will pay $297 million to settle U.S. regulatory claims that it violated federal securities laws in connection with billions of dollars of sales of residential mortgage-backed securities tied to subprime mortgage loans.

Mendon Capital Advisors increased its holdings in several community banks in the third quarter, while reducing its exposure to JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and other large and midsize banks.

Southwest Bancorp in Stillwater, Okla., has recruited veteran executive from BancFirst Corp. in Oklahoma City to be its new chief financial officer.

Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) has hired a veteran executive from Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) to lead its international banking business.

An independent audit found that the Federal Housing Administration's capital reserve ratio fell into negative territory, meaning the agency may need a bailout from the Treasury Department for the first time in its 78-year history.

The $1.1 billion-asset parent company of First Federal Savings Bank said late Thursday that First Security Bank of Owensboro has terminated a deal to buy four First Federal branches in Louisville.

If regulators continue to sting banks with overzealous enforcement actions and ill-conceived policies, they, like the scorpion in Aesop's fable, could find themselves up the creek without a frog or paddle.

Republic Bancorp (RBCAA) of Louisville, Ky., and FedFirst Financial Corp. (FFCO) of Monessen, Pa., are planning to return more of their capital to shareholders as the fiscal cliff looms.

The Senate late Thursday confirmed the top two senior officials to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. following months of uncertainty.

First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG) is expanding its mortgage operations. The Buffalo, N.Y., company is scheduled to open a processing center next month in Syracuse and hire more than two dozen employees to staff it.

First Mariner Bancorp said it had called off plans to sell a minority stake in itself to Priam Capital Fund I after determining that it could improve its capital levels with retained earnings.

Sandy is likely to roil delinquencies in the next month or so, but issuers posted another round of strong reports for October.

Bankers may have fallen out of love with the Obama administration, but they're still hoping that its next Treasury Secretary will solve some of their problems.

Crescent Financial's updated SEC filing removes previous discussion about how banking regulators "encouraged" its deal with VantageSouth.

The move should improve liquidity for the $1.3 billion-asset Chemung's shares, Ronald M. Bentley, Chemung's president and chief executive, said in a news release Wednesday.

Foreclosure filings ticked up in October compared with the previous month but continued to decline on an annual basis, underscoring the fitful nature of the housing recovery.

Capitol Bancorp (CBCRQ) has been fighting for survival for a few years now, but the next month might prove to be its toughest battle.