Under pressure from a regulator solely focused on protecting the consumers' financial interest, many banks have started abandoning suspect practices. Let’s keep it that way.

Colony Financial (CLNY) in Los Angeles seeks to raise as much as $150.9 million through a common stock offering and use the funds to repay a revolving credit facility.

An educational computer game from Visa and the National Football League allows players to move up and down the field and score points by correctly answering questions that test their financial literacy.

Bank of the James Financial Group (BOTJ) in Lynchburg, Va., has raised $10 million through a private placement of unregistered debt.

Unpredictable card terms and conditions make it hard for small-business owners to budget. If they can't allocate funds with confidence, they're less likely to hire employees, hurting the economy.

Charles Collum, a former chairman of Virginia's oldest bank, will run a loan office in the north of the state for John Marshall Bank.

BankAtlantic's former parent is officially no longer regulated as a financial holding company. The Fed released BFC Financial and affiliate BBX Capital from being registered as a thrift holding company.

M&T's bid for Hudson City has the deal world abuzz with talk of who'll be next. The Fed, meanwhile, is trying to calm angry community bankers as the entire industry mulls the implications of the November election.

Retail credit unions can improve their net worth only through retained earnings. That's made a stressful period for all financial institutions particularly challenging for this category. Let them raise capital.

Hancock Holding Company in Gulfport, Miss., has named Deborah Conrad, a veteran international banker, as manager of its new export-finance group.

John Marshall Bank in Reston, Va., has appointed Charles K. Collum, a former chairman of Virginia's oldest bank, Burke & Herbert Bank, to head a new loan office in Alexandria.

Royal Bank of Canada agreed to buy the Shoppers Optimum credit-card portfolio from Bank of America to extend its MasterCard offerings.

State attorneys general are pressing four regional banks — U.S. Bancorp, PNC, SunTrust and HSBC — to accept a settlement over botched foreclosures akin to a deal reached with big banks earlier this year.

The world's second-largest payments network has been "looking at the offer and reward space for a while," says chief product officer Tim Murphy.

SunTrust Banks (STI) unveiled several major balance-sheet moves Thursday, including the final disposition of its longtime holdings in Coca-Cola (KO) and a $375 million provision for mortgage-repurchase losses.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated an enforcement order against Rosholt Bancorp in Wisconsin.

The American Bankers Association voted Thursday to create a SuperPAC for bankers — but it has an alternative structure from Friends of Traditional Banking, the only other banking SuperPAC.

Thomas Gilmartin, TriState Capital Bank's new market president in New York, wants to put together a team of veteran bankers who share his local expertise.

If President Obama wins reelection, Democrats are likely to stay on the defensive over Dodd-Frank while trying to grapple with the reform of Fannie and Freddie.

City National Bank & Trust in Lawton, Okla., is venturing outside of its home state by opening three branches inside Wal-Mart Supercenters in Kansas.