Fueled by record revenues from mortgage banking, Washington Trust Bancorp (WASH) in Westerly, R.I., reported a record $8.4 million profit in the first quarter, an increase of 24% over the same period in 2011.

Mortgage refinance activity contributed to higher earnings at the Atlanta bank, but sustained success will "depend on a lot of variables," CEO Rogers says.

A quick read of a recent New York Times story could suggest a tidal move back into subprime lending. But a closer look reveals a major exception: before the crisis, consumers with weak credit were warmly invited to borrow on unsecured bank credit cards. No more.

Wells Fargo & Co. is considering opening a bank branch in India but has yet to make a formal decision on whether to apply for a branch license to the Reserve Bank of India, a senior executive said Monday.

With the CFPB looking broadly at third-party relationships, lenders need to know the qualifications of anyone handling an account for them. Giving carte blanche to middlemen to hire car repossession agents may no longer be an option.

Federal regulators ended a three-week hiatus by shuttering a small New Jersey thrift on Friday.

Raj Date, the deputy director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said Friday that the agency wants to avoid creating "disincentives" for mortgage lenders and banks as part of the qualified mortgage rule.

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Annual meetings held by Citi and Bank of New York Mellon have been shaken by investor dissent over executive pay, and observers anticipate more rebukes in the coming month.

Republic Bancorp booked a $28 million bargain purchase gain on its purchase of the failed Tennessee Commerce Bank. The company is now looking for other deals as it searches for ways to augment revenues it will lose from ending a controversial tax.

Bank of America's shares fell nearly 5% Friday after a prominent analyst put a sell rating on the stock and Bloomberg reported that B of A is one of nine banks being investigated by the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for possibly misleading customers on overdraft protection programs.

A Kent, Wash., credit union joins peers from California and Michigan in opposing legislation that would allow non-profits to more than double their commercial lending.

Capital One and American Express posted strong gains in the first quarter. But they will need to keep an eye on cost containment to keep that momentum going.

Fees, branch locations and types of products offered all play a role into how much customers like their banks, according to the J.D. Power and Associates' 2012 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study. The survey highlighted the highest-ranked banks by region.

PHH (PHH) of Mount Laurel, N.J., has hired Sun Bancorp's (SNBC) chief financial officer, Robert Crowl, for the same position.

The three Southeast banks, each slow to shake off its troubles, report first-quarter results next week. Improvement is expected from each, though plenty of challenges remain.

Park National (PRK) in Newark, Ohio, announced Friday that it will repay the $100 million it received from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program by issuing new debt and reducing its short-term investments.

Western Alliance Bancorp.'s (WAL) shares were up more than 3% Friday after the Phoenix company reported that its first-quarter income more than tripled from a year ago.

Glacier Bancorp (GBCI) in Kalispell, Mont., is off to a strong start in 2012 and its chief executive is optimistic that its performance will only improve as the company streamlines its operating structure and continues to shed problem assets.

Lower expenses and better credit quality led National Penn Bancshares of Boyertown, Pa., reporting a 62% increase, to $25.3 million, year over year in its first quarter earnings.