If the only thing preventing a customer exodus is the sheer hassle of switching banks, there is a real danger that one day an enterprising company or competitor will come along and solve that pain point.

Aided by a sharp drop in problem loans, Synovus Financial Corp. in Columbus, Ga., reported a third-quarter profit of $15.7 million — its first quarterly profit in more than three years.

Roughly 400 banks remain in Tarp, and it's not at all clear how they're going to get out, the special inspector general for Tarp said in a new report.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. said Wednesday that third quarter earnings were nearly flat from a year earlier.

Visa Inc.'s profit rose 14% in the fiscal fourth-quarter as consumers spent more using its credit and debit cards and the volume of transactions it processed grew.

I'm hoping William Dudley would consider a meander down the street to Zuccotti Park, with the Fed's consent order against Goldman Sachs in hand. Let the crowd know that the Fed not only shares your pain, but has a few analgesics that might make you feel a bit better.

Investors say their appetite for the nation's smallest banks has waned due to market uncertainty, leading more to consider bigger community banks.

Sterling Financial Corp.'s shares jumped 11% Wednesday, to close at $15.02, after the once-embattled Spokane, Wash., company reported its highest quarterly profit in nearly four years.

Ocwen Financial Corp., which this week agreed to buy Morgan Stanley's Saxon Mortgage Services Inc., isn't planning on stopping its shopping spree anytime soon.

Both the chief executive officer and the chairman of the board of Freddie Mac are stepping down within the next few months, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said Wednesday.

The chief executive of mortgage finance company Freddie Mac intends to step down within the next year after just over two years on the job, a federal housing regulator said Wednesday.

As hundreds of national banks disappear and community banks increasingly chose a state charter, policymakers must consider the impacts.

Merchants will dictate which mobile payment models become mainstream, attendees at a mobile commerce conference this week said.

Trustmark National Bank in Jackson, Miss., has set up a mortgage lending shop in Birmingham, Ala., to serve its growing retail and wholesale customer base in the state.

The acquisition of a failed bank in July gave Wintrust Financial Corp.'s earnings a strong boost in the third quarter.

Bankers beware. There are a number of industries that are expected to languish even when the U.S. economy starts to recover. As banks try to make loans and spread, these might be good ones to avoid. Economists at IBISWorld note that these industries carry considerable risk and the potential for shrinking revenue.

Flagstar Bancorp Inc. in Troy, Mich., reported a net loss of $14.2 million for the third quarter, a 37% improvement over the same period last year and its smallest quarterly loss since the start of the financial crisis three years ago.

A top political prognosticator said the Occupy Wall Street crowd has a long way to go before they evolve into a political movement on par with the Tea Party.

Hudson City Bancorp Inc.'s third-quarter profit declined more than 32% from the same period last year as historically low interest rates battered its investment portfolio.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday announced a written agreement with Border Capital Group Inc. in McAllen, Texas.