U.S. consumers are spending more on their credit cards after two years of cutting back, according to the Federal Reserve's G.19 report released Monday. The first increase in credit card debt since the financial crisis began is a sign Americans are gaining confidence in the economy.

LAKE HOUGHTON, Mich. – North Central Area CU has branched into the community’s elementary schools with new student-run branches in Houghton Lake, Roscommon, Standish and Twining.

Many bank chief executives are nearing retirement, and a big test will be finding their successors.

Heritage Financial Group Inc. in Albany, Ga., said Monday that it swung to a $922,000 profit in the fourth quarter from a $1.7 million loss a year earlier.

Though credit costs are subsiding at Dearborn Bancorp Inc. in Michigan, its bank has been undercapitalized for six straight quarters.

Texas Gulf Bank in Houston continued a management overhaul Sunday by rearranging several positions and naming Robert Greer as its chairman.

The Treasury Department has launched a public offering for the 1.6 million warrants for common equity it received from Wintrust Financial Corp. in Lake, Forest, Ill., under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Some analysts believe Sterling should cultivate its specialty in commercial and industrial lending, where there is room aplenty to grow, rather than chase a potentially risky bank deal.

A new survey of risk managers across Europe shows many expect an improvement in credit card and auto loan performance in the next six months, with much less optimism for mortgage loans and small business loans.

Rockland Trust Co. of Rockland, Mass. has joined the handful of banks giving their customers the ability to deposit checks with a smartphone.

Repeating a familiar pattern of recent years, banks failed Friday in Georgia and Illinois. Two were closed in Georgia; another, in Chicago, was the city's first failure of 2011.

CNB Financial Corp. in Clearfield, Pa., said Friday that fourth-quarter net earnings jumped almost 90%, to $2.9 million, compared with a year earlier.

Eastern Virginia Bankshares in Tappahannock said Friday that it had suffered an $8.1 million loss in the fourth quarter as its borrowers struggled to make payments.

Net income at First Interstate BancSystem in Billings, Mont., grew 24.2% from the third quarter, to $10.8 million. The $7.5 billion-asset company attributed the results to strong income from the origination and sale of residential real estate loans and the reversal of previously recorded mortgage-servicing rights impairment.

Repeating a familiar pattern of recent years, banks failed Friday in Georgia and Illinois. Two were closed in Georgia; another, in Chicago, was the city's first failure of 2011.

With one of the largest war chests of capital in the Pacific Northwest, Columbia Banking in Tacoma, Wash., has long been viewed as one of that market's likely consolidators.

With one of the largest war chests of capital in the Pacific Northwest, Columbia Banking in Tacoma, Wash., has long been viewed as one of that market's likely consolidators.

Three companies that resell consumers’ credit reports settled Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that they did not take reasonable steps to protect consumers' personal information, failures that allowed computer hackers to access that data, the FTC announced Thursday.

SunGard officials announced Thursday that the company has acquired PredictiveMetrics, a company that provides predictive scoring and analytical services for collections, credit, utilities and other markets.

The Federal Reserve Board said it has reached a written agreement with Cokato Bancshares Inc. of Cokato, Minn. The $55.5 million-asset company agreed to be a source of strength for State Bank of Cokato, which has been under a consent order from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. since May.