CHICAGO – The future of the branch office continues to be a matter of divided debate, as was made clear during a Colloquium here sponsored by the Filene Research Institute.

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Ally Financial on Friday told its mortgage banking clients that it will "significantly" curtail government lending tied to some government agencies, according to a internal memo. The affected agencies are the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Agriculture.

Scores of community banks could soon deregister from the Securities and Exchange Commission due to a clause in the newly signed law. But some lawyers warn that activist investors could take advantage of banks that decide to stop filing documents with the SEC.

JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo reported surprisingly strong revenue growth on Friday, reversing the slumps of recent quarters. A pickup in mortgage banking returns helped.

Some 350 banks are yet to pay back Tarp funds. A recent auction of preferred shares may signal a way out for the Treasury.

Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC) of Green Bay, Wis., has hired two Bank of America (BAC) employees to lead a new office in Michigan as it looks to make commercial real estate loans in the Detroit area.

The state of Indiana has tapped a former banker to help restore credibility to its beleaguered revenue department.

The founder and chief executive of Vantage Point Bank in Fort Washington, Pa., has resigned after more than four years with the bank.

Bank of America (BAC) is preparing to sell off hundreds of foreclosed homes in bulk as part of its ongoing effort to clear out its inventory of distressed assets.

The Senate is preparing to consider legislation that would allow credit unions to engage in more commercial lending, a proposal that the industry has long championed. This proposal is a really bad idea, but because of the political constituency behind credit unions it may actually be passed into law. In the event, the National Credit Union Association and the U.S. taxpayer may be facing significant losses in the future.

Wells Fargo on Friday reiterated its plans to slash costs over the next year, but executives gave themselves flexibility to rethink those cuts later.

An employee stole $301,000 from Liberty Bell Bank. Because the bank did not have insurance coverage, the theft took a bite out of the bank's bottom line. Instead of reporting net income of $375,000 for 2011, Liberty Bell's full-year profit was $74,000.

U.S. Bank Home Mortgage table funded $8.1 billion of mortgages through loan brokers in the fourth quarter, displacing Provident Funding Associates as the nation's largest player in the channel, according new figures compiled by National Mortgage News and the Quarterly Data Report.

The Treasury Department has not said if it intends to auction off more stakes it owns in community banks, but Yadkin Valley Financial (YAVY) in Elkin, N.C., wants to be ready in case it does.

Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase reclassified many second mortgages as delinquent, even though they are current, because the first mortgages to which they are subordinate have already gone delinquent.

A recent credit union conference in Chicago featured a presentation of what a futuristic branch could look like.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. As excerpted from the Comments sections of AmericanBanker.com articles.

TD Bank has named Vinoo Vijay as its new chief marketing officer.

Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) in Little Rock said its first-quarter earnings increased 23% from the same period in 2011, to $18 million, on the strength of improved efficiency, solid growth in fee income and a continued decline in problem assets.