First Financial Holdings (SCBT) in Columbia, S.C., reported a big leap in first-quarter profits thanks largely to double-digit growth in its loan portfolio.

TowneBank (TOWN) in Suffolk, Va., said that improved credit quality helped boost its first-quarter earnings 6.3% from a year earlier, to $11.1 million.

Idaho Banking is the latest bank set to change hands through the bankruptcy process.

Howard Bancorp in Ellicott City, Md., has agreed to buy a branch from Rising Sun Bancorp in Rising Sun, Md.

Bryn Mawr Bank (BMTC) in Pennsylvania will have a new chief executive at the end of this year.

Midland, Texas, is the latest in a growing number of cities proposing an ordinance that affects payday lenders, or credit access businesses.

Ken Lewis clearly hid material information about Merrill from his shareholders at BofA. So why does his settlement feel so wrong?

Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida (SBCF) in Stuart has agreed to buy The Bankshares in Winter Park, Fla.

Three of Certus' ousted executives depict a behind-the-scenes struggle at the Greenville, S.C., bank as management, directors and investors were often working at cross purposes. The lawsuit also discusses a possible merger with an unnamed bank that never took place.

Improved credit quality and income from venture capital and private equity investments helped SVB Financial (SIVB) in Santa Clara, Calif., more than double its first-quarter profits.

TFS Financial (TFSL) in Cleveland boosted first-quarter profits by 28% as improved credit quality allowed it to chop its loan-loss provision in half.

Aided by strong growth in loans and income from trust services, City National (CYN) in Los Angeles reported net income $54.5 million the first quarter, up 6% from the same period last year.

Harvard Illinois Bancorp wants to name the son of a retiring director to replace him. It says the son is qualified for the job, but investor Joseph Stilwell -- who is backing another nominee to the board -- disagrees.

The issue of serving so-called "underbanked" borrowers has taken on a new urgency since regulators began cracking down on payday and certain other low-dollar, high-interest loans, prompting fears of a credit crunch for low-income consumers. The FDIC is looking at banking by mobile phone and other possible solutions as a way of bridging the gap.

First Merchants Corp.(FRME) in Muncie, Ind., is benefiting from loan growth after a recent acquisition.

The National Credit Union Administration approved a final rule on capital planning and stress testing at its open board meeting Thursday that contained some changes — but maybe not enough to satisfy credit unions.

Bankers aren't normally thought of as sartorial trendsetters, but JPMorgan Chase and Huntington recently won awards from the Image Apparel Institute for their branch employees' uniforms.

The Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a stack of pending nominees to the Federal Reserve Board and other agencies, before it proceeds with a highly anticipated vote on a bill to overhaul the housing finance market.

Reliant Bank in Brentwood, Tenn., is reportedly in talks to sell itself with Commerce Union Bank in Springfield, Tenn.

Bigger banks have shifted their efforts to deposit growth in advance of proposed liquidity rules. As a result, community banks are seeing more opportunities to lend, particularly in commercial lines that were once the domain of larger lenders.