Community Financial Shares (CFIS) in Glen Ellyn, Ill., has raised nearly $500,000 through a rights offering.

Women business owners have more trouble obtaining loans than do their male counterparts because they tend to operate businesses with lower profit margins, according to a report released Wednesday.

For banks looking to poach customers disaffected by mergers among rivals, there is plenty of opportunity. More than 20% of deposits have changed hands recently in about 50 markets around the country.

The Federal Reserve Board is getting ready to take a statistical snapshot of Americans' spending and saving.

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has terminated its regulatory action against HomeStreet in Seattle.

Enterprise Financial Services in St. Louis has extended the contract of chief executive Peter Benoist by one year.

The latest research from Equifax shows a huge jump in student-loan defaults.

Banks are moving into new territories and new lines of business in their ongoing quest for new revenues. It can be a profitable strategy, but experts say they need to be cautious about loan pricing and concentration risk.

First BanCorp (FBP) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has enhanced and extended an offer to convert preferred shares into common stock.

Hampton Roads Bancshares (HMPR) in Virginia Beach is reducing its branch network.

Eastern Virginia Bankshares (EVBS) in Tappahannock plans to raise $50 million through a private placement and a rights offering.

CNB Financial (CCNE) in Clearfield, Pa., has agreed to acquire FC Banc (FCBZ) in Bucyrus, Ohio, for about $40 million, or $30 a share in cash and stock.

Credit lines and expanded overdraft programs are being considered as alternatives for banks that want to curb their customers' use of payday loans.

New Community Reinvestment Act guidelines will reduce paperwork burdens, open up new areas for assistance and make clear that banks falling short will hurt their overall lending test performance.

Jefferson Bancorp in Lutherville, Md., has received regulatory approval to buy Carrollton Bancorp (CRRB) in Columbia, Md.

In an abrupt policy announcement, the Federal Housing Finance Agency declared Tuesday plans to ban force-placed insurance commissions even before its own industry review is complete.

A unit of Fentura Financial (FETM) in Fenton, Mich., has been freed from a regulatory order from Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the State of Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation.

Provident New York Bancorp wants to join forces with a similarly sized bank, KBW analyst Collyn Gilbert says. But a pool crowded with rival buyers is crimping its plans.

The troubled Metropolitan Bank Group in Chicago may be getting a lifeline from a consortium of Mexican investors, Crain's Chicago Business reported.

Interest in SBA lending has picked up as the agency works to attract more lenders and borrowers by streamlining its programs.