AmericanWest Bank has struck its third deal this year, this time forViking Financial Services Corp. in Seattle.

The Federal Reserve on Thursday announced a written agreement with Stonebridge Financial Corp. in West Chester, Pa.

Alliance Data Systems Corp. said Thursday that Ivan Szeftel, president of its private label services business, will retire from that position in March.

In an effort build scale and improve efficiency, Haverhill Bank in Massachusetts has struck a deal to merge with Economy Co-operative Bank in Merrimac.

Leslie Gillin was named as head of Citi Cards sales and marketing, Valerie Greer was named head of partnerships and the young adult unit and Barry Rodrigues was named global head of network strategy and management.

Fast-growing Signature Bank in New York announced Thursday that it has opened a new office in Manhattan and recruited a team of bankers from HSBC USA to join one of its private-client banking offices in Queens.

Bank of America's Montag and Darnell received broad power to downsize the company. They don't plan to blow it up, but will ramp up selective sales of servicing rights, equity stakes in other businesses and undervalued assets.

NACHA survey finds twentysomethings long to be green and reduce clutter.

Heritage Oaks Bancorp in Paso Robles, Calif., has named longtime California banking executive Simone Lagomarsino as its new president and chief executive officer and as CEO of its subsidiary, Heritage Oaks Bank.

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MGIC Investment Corp. and Radian Group Inc., the two largest U.S. mortgage insurers, are benefiting as their rivals falter.

Foreclosures continue to decimate communities around the nation, with black neighborhoods being the hardest hit. Some pundits and politicians point to federal policies that encouraged homeownership in low- and moderate-income communities, coupled with reckless behavior on the part of greedy homeowners, as the crux of the problem. One example is the statement by Fox News reporter Neil Cavuto that "loaning to minorities and risky borrowers is a disaster." To the contrary, our recent research demonstrates that it is outside investors living in other, predominantly white neighborhoods, not local homeowners, who account for the adverse impact on our nation's black communities.

Bank of America Corp.'s most richly compensated executive, Thomas Montag, may become a future candidate for the top job after a shake-up elevated him to co-chief operating officer at the money-losing lender.

Capitol Federal Financial Inc. in Topeka, Kan., has decided to wait until its one-year anniversary as a 100% stock-owned company before before pursuing a stock buyback program.

Bank of America Corp.'s dismissal Tuesday night of top wealth management executive Sallie Krawcheck may point to a deeper commitment to the Merrill Lynch business.

The Treasury Department said this week it will distribute $4.3 billion from the Small Business Lending Fund, about a third of the funds that banks were seeking from the program and only 14% of the total available.

WASHINGTON — Loan quality improved slightly over the past six weeks while demand was stable to weak, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Federal Reserve Board.

BlueRidge Bank in Frederick, Md., is expanding its operations in the Baltimore metropolitan area by converting its year-old commercial loan office there into a full-service branch.

A ranking of midsize banking companies by funding rates in which SVB Financial places first and First BanCorp places last puts different business models, and local economic conditions, in full view.

MasterCard is urging ATM owners to add hardware for accepting chip-card payments. Those that don't may be faced with a higher level of liability. The plan affects inter-regional transactions on its Maestro network.