Particularly vexing is one bank’s requirement that cardholders sign up for a payment protection service before receiving materials describing it. Hawaii deserves praise for protecting residents from these questionable practices.

Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry on Thursday urged eligible borrowers to sign up for the OCC's foreclosure-review process, and suggested that homeowners who didn't like the results would still be able to sue their mortgage servicers later.

TCF Financial (TCB) reported its first quarterly loss in 17 years Thursday after it restructured its balance sheet to eliminate high-cost debt.

One of the most aggressive bank acquirers in the Southeast has brought in a longtime community banker to help it identify future deals.

First Niagara Financial Group's (FNFG) first-quarter profit rose, as the bank boosted its commercial lending and picked up more checking account customers.

A Federal Reserve rule has sown confusion about the way lenders pay housing appraisers, creating new turmoil in an industry already burdened by expensive middlemen, falling home prices and diminished ranks.

The $4.7 billion-asset parent of Cole Taylor Bank swung to a $7.7 million profit in the first quarter from a $2 million loss in the same period last year, thanks largely to a surge in mortgage lending.

BB&T has dedicated more resources to courting big borrowers, and its expansion in Texas via M&A is paying off, CEO Kelly King says.

OMG, earnings season is a rough time, but Richard Davis, the Minneapolis bank's CEO, borrows from the teenage lexicon to lighten the mood.

Small-business lending may be heating up for the most creditworthy borrowers, but gaps in that market remain, according to Small Business Administration head Karen Mills.

Fueled by acquisitions and strong organic loan growth, People's United Financial (PBCT) in Bridgeport, Conn., said Thursday that it earned $58.8 million in the first quarter, up 36% from the same quarter in 2011.

Sallie Krawcheck has had no trouble staying busy since leaving Bank of America. She recently joined the advisory board of Gold Bullion International and is on her way to growing a vast Twitter following.

First Horizon National in Memphis said Thursday that its first-quarter profit fell l3% from the same period in 2011, to $30.5 million, as improvement in its banking and capital markets units could not offset steep losses in its defunct mortgage operations.

Consumers are more disappointed with bank fees, but that frustration has been largely offset by more positive experiences at branches and ATMs, according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates.

In October of last year the acting chairman of the FDIC said at the annual ABA meeting, "the FDIC is going to undertake a number in initiatives to further our understanding of the challenges and opportunities for community banks."

Fifth Third Bancorp's (FITB) first-quarter earnings jumped 62% as results got a boost from the regional lender's gains on the initial public offering of Vantiv Inc. (VNTV) and an improved credit environment.

Larry Hattix believes that adding outside bureaucracy "will significantly delay exam processing and corrective actions," while making it more difficult for regulators to intervene when problems arise at banks and thrifts.

Increased mortgage banking revenue helped lift first-quarter profit at Umpqua Holdings (UMPQ) of Portland, Ore.

Astoria Financial (AF) in Lake Success, N.Y., said after markets closed Wednesday that its first-quarter earnings fell 64% from the same period a year earlier, to $10 million, due to higher deposit insurance premiums, an increase in its loan-loss provision, and $3.4 million in severance costs relating to recent staff cuts.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to pursue actions against lenders for discriminatory practices, even when that discrimination is unintentional.