The future of regional banks is simple: kill or be killed. The survivors will pose a threat to big banks, a roundtable of experts says in its predictions for banking in the year 2036

Nara Bancorp Inc. announced this week that it intends to raise $55 million in connection with its pending acquisition of Center Financial Corp. — a far cry from the $150 million it initially said it would need to seal the deal.

Fast-growing Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. in Pittsfield, Mass., is expanding into Connecticut with a deal to acquire the Connecticut Bank and Trust Co. in Hartford for $30 million in cash and stock.

Vikram Pandit accepted an award last week from nonprofit microlender Accion International, an organization with quite a few Citigroup ties.

CHICAGO – Southwest Chicago Chapter CU has signed with Credit Union Centers to become a member of the Indianapolis group’s shared branch network, which include 4,400 branches nationwide, including 275 in Illinois and Indiana.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – GHS FCU is building a new branch in nearby Norwich in the old Byrne Dairy building.

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An increase in transaction volume and new accounts fueled a small increase in third-quarter revenue for TSYS, the company announced Tuesday.

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NBT Bancorp Inc. in Norwich, N.Y., reported third-quarter net income of $15.2 million, up 4.4% from a year earlier, due largely to improved asset quality.

TSYS' third-quarter earnings rose 27% as the company continued to benefit from strong international revenue growth, while its North American business also improved.

Shares of PrivateBancorp Inc. surged Tuesday following news that the Chicago company had more than doubled its third-quarter earnings from a year earlier as revenue increased and credit costs subsided.

BancorpSouth Inc.'s shares plunged Tuesday after the Tupelo, Miss., company reported an increase in problem loans and Moody's Corp. downgraded its credit rating.

In all the talk about new checking account fees and their impact on the financially underserved, there has been little focus on actual consumers. It is worth reminding ourselves who "they" are.

The bureau has teamed up with the Department of Education on a financial aid shopping sheet that would help students compare offers from different schools, distinguish between scholarships and loans, and estimate their monthly debt payments after graduation.

As profits return, more banks will take advantage of accounting rules that let them use tax deferred assets to pad the bottom line. Far from a gimmick, their use is considered a sign of banks' improving health.

John Robbins, who founded two separate mortgage businesses and sold them to big banks before the housing crisis, has launched Bexil American Mortgage Inc., a retail and wholesale mortgage origination company.

To address what one might call a "flight risk," MasterCard Inc. plans to test contactless payments at 30,000 feet, enabling airlines to accept more secure plastic — and potentially mobile — payments aboard planes.

Aided by solid loan growth, Chemical Financial Corp. in Midland, Mich., and Lakeland Financial Corp. in Warsaw, Ind., reported sharp increases in profits for the quarter that ended Sept. 30.

Acting FDIC Chairman Marty Gruenberg reiterated his agency's support for small banks, but many bankers are unsure if it will lead to real change.