There is optimism that the Small Business Administration will be allowed to approve a larger volume of SBA loans in fiscal year 2015 compared to previous years. Bankers are especially supportive of plans to continue waiving fees for smaller 7(a) loans.

Royal Bancshares of Pennsylvania (RBPAA) in Narbeth has agreed to sell nearly $14 million in stock through private placements.

Retail bankers are struggling with a vexing mix of competitive and regulatory headwinds these days. As they prepare to gather at American Banker's Retail Banking 2014 conference, the publication's editors discuss what are likely to be the hottest topics of the day.

Bank lending to small businesses reached post-recession record highs in February, according to the latest Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index.

Banks of all sizes are struggling to increase the revenues and profits that they can eke out of their retail operations — while trying to elbow their competitors out of the same turf. To do so, bankers need to face some hard truths about their branches, technology and M&A ambitions.

Meridian Interstate Bancorp (EBSB) in East Boston, Mass., is planning a second-step conversion.

Pervasive distrust is a thorn in the side of financial technology innovators and bankers alike, and has prevented mobile wallets from helping consumers manage their finances in real time – a tool they desperately need!

FBC Mortgage, a unit of the investment bank Sterne Agee Group, is seeking loan referral partnerships with community banks. In a recent deal it also hired HomeBanc's mortgage personnel.

Cardinal Financial (CFNL) in Tysons Corner, Va., has merged its two banks.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp (BHLB) in Pittsfield, Mass., has terminated all of its interest rate swaps associated with Federal Home Loan Bank advances through the end of last year.

Sens. Tim Johnson, chairman of the Banking Committee, and Mike Crapo, the top Republican, laid out a preliminary bipartisan agreement on housing finance reform after months of deliberation.

Mobile apps and the ATM are rapidly becoming alternative touch points for many customers. But does that mean that bank branches are dinosaurs? The answer is definitely ‘no.’

Mt. Gox, the Bitcoin exchange that filed for bankruptcy in Tokyo after millions of dollars' worth of virtual currency vanished from customer accounts, won a temporary halt to lawsuits it faces in the U.S.

A New Jersey appeals court ruled that debt buyers do not have to provide notice to consumers when debts are purchased and assigned but must prove they own the debt and the amount before they can collect. Further, electronic business records are sufficient for proof.

The Bitcoin Foundation appointed Jim Harper, a former lobbyist for eBay Inc.'s PayPal service, to be global policy counsel as the group seeks to persuade governments to let people use the virtual currency.

Ameris Bancorp (ABCB) in Moultrie, Ga., has agreed to buy Coastal Bankshares in Savannah, Ga.

Chemical Financial (CHFC) in Midland, Mich., has agreed to buy Northwest Bancorp in Traverse City, Mich.

A class action lawsuit filed against student loan collection company, the National Collegiate Student Loan Trust, and the Law Offices of Patenaude & Felix APC, alleges that they used deceptive practices to collect student loan debts in California.

Comerica Bank (CMA) is planning to expand its existing middle-market commercial banking operations at its Dallas headquarters.

With its new checkless checking account, Bank of America is taking a different path than many other large banks that have begun offering prepaid cards.