Dealmakers are focused on community banks, especially private ones.

The latest data confirm what housing practitioners already knew: there are simply not enough home sales today to spark a housing recovery. Whether it is a recent Mortgage Bankers Association survey on purchase applications being at a 15 year low, the Federal Housing Administration's fiscal year 2011 purchase data indicating a 30% decline or Fannie and Freddie's consistently weak purchase volume, all show a market in serious trouble.

The new HARP may help. But its sister program HAMP should also be revised so more borrowers can qualify, mortgage executives and community advocates say.

Joseph E. Hasten, a former vice chairman at U.S. Bancorp, died Tuesday after a brief illness. He was 59.

Men are from Egypt, women are from Disney World. That's the case according to an online survey by Royal Bank of Canada of more than 1,500 Canadian rewards cardholders who were asked what tourist destination they would most like to visit.

The Federal Reserve on Thursday said it has issued a consent order to a Baltimore company, instructing it to take action to improve the composition and business practices of its board.

The Texas Ratio is often used to measure the riskiness of a bank and its likelihood of failure. But recently, it has lost its distinctiveness as being uniquely Texan.

Ocean Store Holding Co. in Ocean City, N.J., reported late Wednesday that its third-quarter earnings fell 16% from a year earlier, to $1.2 million, due to expenses tied to an acquisition.

An estimated 650,000 consumers have closed their bank accounts and opted for credit union membership over the past four weeks, according to CUNA, bringing the approach to Saturday's Bank Transfer Day to a crescendo.

Freddie Mac posted a $4.4 billion loss during the third quarter, up from a year-ago loss of $2.5 billion, marking its worst quarterly loss in more than one year.

TUCSON, Ariz. – Vantage West CU has upgraded its 34 ATMs with Diebold technology, adding deposit automation to 11 of them.

Community Bancorp LLC in Houston said Wednesday that it will change its name to Cadence Bancorp LLC next week.

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The U.S. homeownership rate in the third quarter was at the second lowest level in more than a decade as borrowers were evicted after foreclosures and the tightest mortgage standards in more than a decade thwarted new buyers.

The refinance boom of the third quarter both helped and hurt results at PHH Corp. of Mount Laurel, N.J.

Credit quality may have stabilized, but banks are boosting reserves after signaling plans to lower them. Concerns over the economy, growth plans and regulatory intervention all seem to be playing a role in the reversals.

MasterCard is short on details for plans to beef up share in the debit card space on its third-quarter earnings call with analysts. The network posted strong earnings and revenue gains despite a sluggish economy.

Raj Date, the interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, faced pointed questions and criticisms from Republicans in his first appearance before Congress since taking over for Elizabeth Warren last August.

The Johnson family, which also controls S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., pumped $235 million into Johnson Financial after efforts to bring in outside funds were unsuccessful.

Bank technology provider Fiserv has positioned itself for a wave of growth in electronic payments. It expects its recently purchased CashEdge and related business lines to balloon in the coming years.