KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Consumers CU is planning to open two branches in 2012, one in Kalamazoo and one in Mattawan.

Mortgage industry members are applauding Congressional efforts to raise the guarantee fees that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge lenders, saying the fee increases could help bring private investors back into the mortgage market.

WASHINGTON – The FDIC said today it approved the acquisition of Griffith (Indiana) Savings Bank by United FCU of St. Joseph, Mich., the first bank to be acquired by a credit union.

Despite recent sweet talk about building better relationships and regaining trust, few banks are taking meaningful steps to do either. It will take more than sympathetic ads, friendlier tellers or bonus credit card miles. This may require some time in therapy.

Shareholders for Herald National Bank of New York have until Dec. 21 to decide how they want to get paid in the proposed merger with BankUnited Inc. of Miami Lakes, Fla.

Activist investor John W. Palmer appears to have won his bid for a seat on the board of the $1.2 billion-asset HF Financial Corp.

U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis has added two high-profile business leaders to its board of directors.

Plans to reduce paper use 20% by 2015.

The FDIC has served as the receiver on 90 banks so far this year, well below analysts' expectations. Still, observers say another 200 banks are at risk of failure over the next two years.

Agency had originally sought much more in case stemming from 2008 failure, but officials say deal still provides creditor relief.

Washington Mutual Inc. unveiled a new proposed settlement with shareholders who have held up confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan and a $7 billion payday for creditors.

Bucking an industry trend, Umpqua Holdings Corp. in Portland, Ore., is ramping up its commercial real estate lending to fill what it sees as a void in its markets.

FNB United Corp. in Asheboro, N.C., has met the requirements for continued listing on the Nasdaq after completing a one-for-100 reverse common stock split.

Hometown Bancorp in Kent, Ohio, has changed the name of its banking unit to Hometown Bank from Home Savings Bank.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday announced written agreements with two banking companies.

Bond insurer MBIA Inc. will pay Morgan Stanley $1.1 billion to settle a two-year-old legal clash over guarantees tied to commercial and residential real estate, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Mobile and online payments startup Zipmark has secured $2 million in funding from a group of venture capital firms and others, the company said on Tuesday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa Community CU announced this morning it is the latest victim of market economics, forcing it to close its branches on the University’s campus and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as the credit union declined to participate in competitive bidding for renewal of the five-year leases.

Company believed to be rebooting its mortgage search service and creating a new method for ranking "quality" lenders.

Though the mobile payments space is still nascent, the early successes seem to be those developed by technology companies and mobile-phone carriers — not banks. A new product from Sequent might level the playing field.