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.

Large and midsized banks reported strong commercial loan growth in the first quarter. The question now is whether it's sustainable.

City National (CYN) in Los Angeles is eyeing acquisitions of both banks and asset management firms and its chief executive has no preference for one over the other.

Few managers manage costs. Instead, they manage the elements around cost, such as headcount. That never illuminates how work can be done differently to create permanent operating efficiencies.

Two years after regulators gave Americans more power to manage overdrafts of their checking accounts, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is reviewing bank practices to determine if the crackdown went far enough.

The acting head of the FHFA said Thursday he is “deeply concerned” about underwater borrowers, but that forbearance plans and short sales already serve as forms of principal reduction.

Capital One Financial (COF) has set aside an additional $75 million in its reserve in the first quarter of 2012, saying some of its salespeople did not adhere to its practices in trying to sell additional products to credit card customers.

Supporters of allowing more business lending by credit unions get nods from a consumer group and a group of conservatives and free-market organizations. Meanwhile, a Michigan credit union joins banks in opposing the measure.

Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC) of Green Bay, Wis., is coming off its most profitable quarter since before the financial crisis.

Simmons First National (SFNC) of Pine Bluff, Ark., reported a first-quarter profit of $6.4 million, up roughly 25% from a year earlier as its loan-loss provision fell.