Capital, cost-cuts and creativity. Those are three things banks, especially small ones, will need to ride out a period of low margins and stiff regulation until economic conditions improve, says BankUnited CEO John Kanas.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has sanctioned five firms for charging additional fees on municipal and state bond offerings to pay a lobbying organization.

Red River Bancshares in Alexandria, La., plans to expand into the Baton Rouge area with a deal to buy Fidelity Bancorp.

Developing and implementing programs that accurately detect consumer vulnerabilities in the marketplace is important to better manage risk at financial institutions and for public policy purposes.

In the most challenging banking environment in memory, BankUnited's John Kanas expects the winners to be those companies most adept at amassing capital, cutting costs and figuring out the innovation puzzle.

OceanFirst Financial in Toms River, N.J., expects to increase its fourth-quarter loan-loss provision because of Hurricane Sandy and new regulatory guidance for borrowers who have filed for bankruptcy.

The industry returned to sustainable (albeit tepid) profitability this year and housing appears to have bottomed. Regulatory fines and litigation continue to cast a pall on the future, however.

Wells Fargo won a partial victory in its appeal of an order to reimburse $203 million of overdraft charges. It can order debit transactions how it wants, but consumers still have a case that they were misled, an appeals court ruled.

The $2.7 billion-asset parent of AnchorBank in Madison, Wis., said Wednesday it has prepaid $150 million in advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank System that were due in 2015.

The FDIC this year has filed more lawsuits against the officers and directors of failed banks than it did last year. That number is expected to grow again next year, and involve smaller institutions.

BBCN execs took a difficult path to build the largest Korean-American bank, but a successful merger in L.A. and a deal in Seattle have put it on course to become a West Coast player — and maybe more.

2012 was not the kindest of years to Google's mobile wallet, starting as it did with a security breach and ending with speculation that the a plastic card will be added to the otherwise entirely digital wallet.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is finishing a redesign of its headquarters featuring an open floor plan — a sharp departure from the labyrinthine layout of the previous tenant, the OTS.

Banking was a tough business to thrive in over the past year. These ten executives stood out for savvy moves that enabled their companies to beat the odds.

Start the New Year right, with new ways to think about widening your bank's customer base, lowering your legal costs, mentoring your executives, maximizing tech investments and more.

The Obama administration may be looking to expand the number of borrowers who can refinance their mortgages.

In a market where banks have been massively devalued, BankUnited's CEO says executives will have to focus on creating value over the next few years to sell at attractive prices.

Wealthy Americans say growing the economy matters more in the coming year than slashing federal spending.

LNB Bancorp in Lorain, Ohio, is inching its way toward exiting the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Political squabbles on Capitol Hill and the tight presidential race put key confirmations on the backburner in 2012, but confirmed regulatory leaders will speed up progress on many fronts next year.