Commerce Bancshares Inc. in Kansas City, Mo., reported a 37% increase in first-quarter earnings from a year earlier, to $60.5 million, because of a dramatic drop in credit costs.

Wintrust Financial Corp. in Lake Forest, Ill., has acquired certain assets and liabilities of River City Mortgage LLC, a mortgage bank in Bloomington, Minn.

A pair of banking companies said late Wednesday that they had left the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

State Bank Financial Corp. in Atlanta said late Wednesday that it received approval to start trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

I have observed that many banks do a generally poor job recovering from mistakes. People who have been victimized by banks are looking for three things in the wake of a mistake.

The Federal Trade Commission has charged two men and their companies with billing consumers without their consent, and not providing promised refunds, in violation of federal law.

ENB Financial Corp. in Ephrata, Pa., reported that first-quarter earnings rose 15.6% from a year earlier, to $1.7 million, as the company lowered its funding cost while credit costs remained stable.

NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Hudson Heritage FCU opened a new branch in a Wal-Mart Supercenter here, the $225 million credit union’s 10th branch.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Directions CU announced it is shuttering two under-performing branches next month, one in Mount Vernon and one in Mansfield.

Columbia Banking System Inc. of Tacoma, Wash., said late Tuesday that its chief executive had joined the board of the American Bankers Association.

Cardinal Financial Corp. in Tysons Corner, Va., reported that its first-quarter profit rose 37% from a year earlier, to $5.2 million, as the company reported lower credit costs and higher income.

NBH Holdings Inc. of Boston said Tuesday that it had lured a top executive from UMB Financial Corp. in Kansas City, Mo.

Century Bancorp Inc. in Medford, Mass., reported on Tuesday that its first-quarter earnings rose 9% from a year earlier, to $3.7 million.

Premier Financial Bancorp in Huntington, W.Va., has consolidated five of its banks into one that it has branded Premier Bank.

Many of these young banks are treading water, at best, waiting for the elusive rebound while coping with higher compliance costs.

Success of the Office of Financial Research is critical to curbing TBTF, and if it flops, the next set of solutions may be much harsher than living wills and orderly liquidation authority.

An analysis of local deposit share reveals which regional banking companies have the strongest positions across the markets in which they operate.

An estimated 515 different collection agencies and creditors were sued between March 16-31, the highest half-month period thus far in 2011 and up from 417 sued between March 1-15, according to data from U.S. District Courts.

Chemung Financial Corp. in Elmira, N.Y., has completed its acquisition of Fort Orange Financial Corp. in Albany, N.Y.