CHANDLER, Ariz. – First CU, one of several large Arizona credit unions suffering big losses, this week said it will close two branches, one in Flagstaff, ending a 23-year presence in that city.

WASHINGTON — Though lawmakers said Tuesday they support the goal of President Obama's $30 billion program to spur small-business lending, many sharply criticized the proposal, arguing it either would not work or could be done more directly.

After three consecutive years of losses directly related to residential real estate, Flagstar Bancorp Inc. of Troy, Mich., is looking to diversify its portfolio in 2010.

In an attempt to avoid the stigma of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, President Obama announced Tuesday a separate $30 billion program to help small businesses receive loans from community banks.

Citizens Republic Bancorp Inc. in Flint, Mich., announced Monday that it has agreed to sell its F&M Bank subsidiary in Des Moines for $50 million in cash to Great Western Bank, a Sioux Falls, S.D., unit of National Australia Bank.

WASHINGTON — Though President Obama has pledged to divert billions into community banks willing to make small-business loans, many financial institutions say loans to smaller firms are falling into delinquency at a high rate.

FORSYTH, Ga. – Robins FCU, based in nearby Warner Robins, has acquired a branch from Piedmont Community Bank that is slated for closing.

Fourth-quarter earnings reports from small and midsize banking companies showcase some favorable trends, notably that credit deterioration appears to be stabilizing and deposits have bloomed on many balance sheets.

President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget proposal would provide $994 million for the Small Business Administration, a 21% increase over the 2010 enacted level.

Portfolio Recovery Associates Inc., a Norfolk, Va. debt buyer, announced this afternoon a "mutually agreeable resolution" to a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by a former executive.

A Colorado community bank has found success in wealth management using a most unusual model.

Over the past 20 years, a range of companies have been steadily making a grab for businesses that had once been the purview of banks.

A former clerk at Pioneer Collection Agency received three years probation today for stealing a $20,000 check intended for the New Jersey Division of Taxation.

CompuCredit Corp., an Atlanta financial services company, will close four collection call centers by March 31. An estimated 740 employees - mostly collectors - will lose their jobs as a result.

A home mortgage lender that previously settled Federal Trade Commission charges of discriminatory lending will have to hire an outside consultant to make sure it does not illegally charge higher prices to African-American and Hispanic consumers, according to the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The general public has long held a belief that the collection industry is recession-proof. In 2009, if not before, that belief may have been proven wrong once and for all as most industry leading companies reported declining profits and liquidations and rising impairment charges.

Two small New England banks are moving into a line of business few their size have tried. Is this the future of community banking?

The Huffington Post's viral campaign urging people to move deposits from large banks to community banks has generated considerable buzz since it was launched in late December. But will it succeed in helping small banks generate more deposits?

By playing up how they can help create jobs, credit unions are gaining momentum with their effort to increase the cap on member business lending.

Understanding that they are only as healthy as the communities they serve, banks are using their marketing prowess to help clients sell everything from burgers to bikes.