The Federal Reserve on Friday approved an application by China's Bank of Communications Co. to open a branch in San Francisco.

Members 1st Federal Credit Union in Mechanicsburg, Pa., fresh off a trademark infringement claim with a local bank, filed a new lawsuit Friday against Merrick Bank in South Jordan, Utah.

Skeptics have often viewed banks with in-store branches as unconventional. Still, several community banks have tested the strategy and concluded it has untapped potential.

While a slowdown in failures is consistent with an improving economy, and the FDIC says 2010 was a peak year for the recent crisis, many say there are still plenty of failures ahead.

The OCC closed the $187 million-asset Western Springs National Bank and Trust in Illinois Later, state regulators closed the $145 million-asset Nevada Commerce Bank.

WICHITA, Kan. – Mid America CU is building what will be a shared branch in northeast Wichita, a community it abandoned two decades ago when it closed its branch there.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Altura CU, struggling with a $5.8 million loss last year, announced Friday it is shuttering four branches and laying off 26 employees, 11% of its workforce.

VIENNA, Va. – Navy FCU will open a new branch, its 214th, this morning in Browns Mills, N.J., to serve employees and families at McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Dix and the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst.

The OCC closed the $187 million-asset Western Springs National Bank and Trust in Illinois Later, state regulators closed the $145 million-asset Nevada Commerce Bank.

Waccamaw Bankshares Inc. in Whiteville, N.C., said Friday that the Nasdaq stock market has given the company until June 3 to submit a plan to regain compliance.

Professional Business Bank in Pasadena, Calif., has hired a former Citigroup Inc. executive as its chief credit officer.

Pacific Marine Credit Union in Camp Pendleton, Calif., on Friday said it acquired a branch from Provident Financial Holdings Inc. of Riverside, Calif.

National Bancorp Holdings, a newly created holding company backed by brothers Stephen and John Calk, bought Generations Bank from Armed Forces Bank in Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated an enforcement action against Tradition Bancshares Inc.

A bill that would impose restrictions on the Small Business Lending Fund may lead bankers to rethink participation in the program.

The measure, introduced by Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, aims to keep troubled banks out of the program by excluding any that ever received funds from Troubled Asset Relief Program. Industry observers say there are plenty of safeguards already in place to weed out unhealthy applicants, and that the bill would effectively kill the SBLF.

Regardless of what the branches of the future look like, the "banker of the future" will almost assuredly be the human interface of an online operation.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Pacific Marine CU has acquired a branch in Temecula, Calif., from Provident Savings Bank.

VIENNA, Va. – Navy FCU has installed Skire Inc.’s Unifier facilities management system for its 210-branch network.