Lenders are working to meet affordable housing needs by extending mortgages to borrowers with a broader range of credit scores and offering loans with lower down payments. But there's still more work to be done, according to Fannie Mae's Jeffery Hayward and Anne McCulloch.

Fueled by strong growth in commercial real estate and specialty lending, Signature Bank in New York reported another record profit for the quarter that ended June 30.

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., reported a rise in quarterly earnings after booking more loans and lowering credit costs.

Astoria Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., has agreed to sell certain nonperforming loans to Credit Suisse at a nearly $9 million loss.

CIT Group, the commercial lender led by John A. Thain, agreed to buy OneWest Bank parent IMB Holdco for $3.4 billion, attaching a regional bank to a national loan platform in an effort to boost profit.

Between the proposed virtual currency regulations in New York and those already established in Texas, the future of Bitcoin would be brighter if more states follow the Lone Star State's example, says Jacob Farber, senior counsel for Perkins Coie LLP.

BancorpSouth has delayed the closing of two bank acquisitions after regulators took issue with the Tupelo, Miss., company's compliance programs.

Washington Trust in Westerly, R.I., rode gains in its lending portfolio and lower operating expenses to a higher second-quarter profit.

Cardtronics Inc. is set to buy Welch ATM for $160 million, expanding the ATM provider with an additional 26,000 kiosks.

Advocates blame the securitization-financed, institutional-scale landlords for astronomical rents and poor maintenance and call for Congressional hearings and government oversight.

Zions Bancorp. in Salt Lake City reported a spike in quarterly earnings after posting a larger credit to its loan-loss provision and reducing noninterest expenses.

Arrow Financial (AROW) in Glens Falls, N.Y., posted higher quarterly earnings because of loan growth and an improved net interest margin.

Most big banks have reported lower revenue for the second quarter, the downside of trying to beef up loans in a hotly competitive, low-rate lending market. Earnings reports at BB&T and SunTrust shed light on the problems of yield and margin that lie below the surface throughout the industry and threaten growth prospects.

Central Federal in Worthington, Ohio, raised roughly $12 million from a private placement of preferred stock.

In another reshuffling of its mortgage ranks, Bank of America has promoted D. Steve Boland, who joined the company through the 2008 acquisition of Countrywide Financial, to head residential lending.

Investors have never been shy about treating Bitcoin as an investment rather than a spendable currency, but the companies that operate in the digital currency space have had a harder time attracting capital.

Northwest Bancshares in Warren, Pa., saw its second-quarter profit decline due to the deterioration of its commercial loan portfolio and elevated expenses.

Recent calls in Congress to take a closer look at the quasi-governmental Farm Credit System and its regulator have pleased bankers, who want to bring attention to their complaints of unfair competition.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Monday that it is accepting consumer complaints on prepaid cards and other non-bank products such as credit repair services and pawnshop loans.

Peoples Bancorp (PEBK) in Newton, N.C., reported higher earnings in the second quarter than a year earlier thanks to a stronger loan portfolio.