Southwest Bancorp (OKSB) in Stillwater, Okla., has hired a search firm to help it find a successor for its president and chief executive, Rick Green, who is retiring.

Mercantile Bank (MBWM) of Grand Rapids, Mich., has repurchased about $10.5 million of the preferred stock it issued to the Treasury Department as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

More banks are looking to cut costs by selling off branches built during the real estate boom. Thankfully, there are still banks with capital and a desire to pick and choose assets and bargain prices, helping to fuel the market.

ING Direct USA, the online bank recently acquired by Capital One Financial Corp. (COF), is exiting from the wholesale mortgage business.

A spokeswoman for Capital One, the owner of ING Direct, has confirmed that ING Mortgage has left the wholesale channel.

The National Fair Housing Alliance said Wednesday it plans to file complaints against several banks for consistent disparities in the way they maintain homes in minority neighborhoods compared to white areas.

First Southern Bank in Boca Raton, Fla., announced Wednesday that its president, Lynne Wines, has added the title of chief executive officer and has been elected to its holding company's board of directors.

An ailing Milwaukee community bank that needs to bolster its capital levels is about to receive a significant cash infusion from a prominent local family.

Some lenders say the change will curtail abuses by consumers who try to hide debts. Others fear FHA's new guidelines will constrain credit just when the housing market needs it.

American Express (AXP) has begun removing its prepaid gift cards from shelves in New Jersey due to a law that requires retailers to collect ZIP codes from purchasers at the point of sale.

The prepaid card marketer Green Dot (GDOT) has completed its acquisition of the location-based deals company Loopt.

Barry Sloane of Newtek Business Services explains why banks are referring customers to his nonbank lender.

United Community Financial (UCFC) of Youngstown, Ohio, will once again raise fresh capital to meet the requirements of a regulatory order.

American Express (AXP) is working with Transaction Network Services (TNS) to provide a payment gateway service for e-commerce.

Toronto-Dominion Bank has a secret weapon in its aggressive plans for international growth: sunny television personalities Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa.

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Re: "Bank of America Sold Card Debts to Collectors Despite Faulty Records"

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated a written agreement with First Bancshares that prevented the Cold Spring, Minn., company from paying dividends without approval.

Hugh Long, the president of Wells Fargo's (WFC) Pennsylvania and Delaware market is leaving the post to become the bank's new head of business banking.