Jack Kopnisky of Sterling Bancorp in New York, which completed a major acquisition last year and has another in the works, is close to reaching his goal of creating a top earner. That effort, and the risks associated with it, make Kopnisky one of American Banker’s five community bankers to watch in 2015.

With Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reserves erasing crisis-era losses, the agency is staring down a critical decision on how to implement a congressionally required increase in the insurance fund.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc.'s main lending arm agreed to buy Citigroup Inc. (C)'s Japanese consumer-banking business to expand services for wealthy individuals in the country.

A Canadian startup says it will enable customers to swap their holdings between gold bullion and bitcoins, and it plans an initial public offering next year.

Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN) was ordered to face a lawsuit by New York's attorney general accusing the bank of fraud in sales of mortgage-backed securities before the recession.

A data broker operation sold the sensitive personal information of hundreds of thousands of consumers to scammers who allegedly debited millions from their accounts, the Federal Trade Commission charged in a complaint.

It is unclear if the wave of state actions signals a burgeoning state scrutiny of consumer finance companies or if state enforcers will only employ this new approach on occasion.

Federal regulators formally issued a final risk retention rule for mortgage securitizations, a long-awaited and hotly debated measure that is nevertheless expected to have little market impact when it takes effect a year from now.

Investors who backed Broadway Financial's 2013 recapitalization are cashing out.

On at least three occasions, Michael Daly flexed his bargaining muscles in discussions with Hampden Bancorp. His tenacity led to a privately negotiated deal, a reduced exchange ratio and an amended employment agreement with Hampden's chief lending officer.

A judge has named Deerwood Bank winner of the bankruptcy auction for American Bank of St. Paul, in the first test of involuntary bankruptcy as a means of resolving trust-preferred debt.

The bank is piloting one conduit for jumbo mortgages and another for Ginnie Mae-eligible loans.

The 3%-down payment mortgage has been made available to consumers with a speed rarely seen in this business, in large part because more lenders than ever are selling loans directly to Fannie and Freddie.

John Poelker joined a bank in crisis when he agreed to lead Certus in April. His efforts to turn around a crisis-riddled South Carolina company make him one of American Banker's 2015 community bankers to watch.

Andrew Samuel left Susquehanna Bancshares, where he was in line to become CEO, to run the tiny Sunshine Bancorp in Florida. While Susquehanna recently agreed to sell itself to BB&T, Samuel has been working furiously to hire and expand at his new employer.

Mutual conversions soared this year as mutual thrift executives sought to raise capital at the behest of investment bankers and others. With many of the biggest mutuals having converted this year, there may be a drop-off in conversions in 2015.

An appeals court has upheld the four-year prison term of a former collection agency executive who was the mastermind behind a $12 million fraud scheme from January 2007 to March 2011.

Westbury Bancorp in West Bend, Wis., named a new president for the company and its bank subsidiary.

It isn't just payday lenders and money-services firms that are being ditched by banks lately. Community banks are getting cut off too.

The subsidiary of Chemung Financial in Elmira, N.Y., has sold its equity securities portfolio.