Some sellers are asking for a lot and buyers have to be careful in vetting targets, but deal activity should increase given the economic pressures and the number of talks going on behind the scenes, some community bank CEOs say.

WASHINGTON — The heads of two key banking trade associations on Friday repeated their calls for Congress to extend the Transaction Account Guarantee program.

Chicago is the latest municipality to adopt a resolution to hold hearings on whether to use eminent domain to take over underwater mortgages from private investors.

Sovereign Bank defeated an overdraft fee lawsuit in Florida federal court on Thursday, making it the only bank to successfully argue its overdraft practices were sanctioned by federal regulators.

Porter Bancorp (PBIB) in Louisville, Ky., is back in the red after posting a profit in the first quarter.

Gideon King, president of Loeb Capital Management, threatened to buy more stock in First California and clean house in the boardroom and executive suite to facilitate a sale to PacWest or another buyer.

The Community Bank, a struggling mutual thrift in Massachusetts, has given up its bid to stay independent and will instead merge with Eastern Bank, the state's largest financial institution.

Shares of Green Dot, the prepaid card company, lost more than half their value Friday after the CEO revealed that its exclusive partnerships with major retailers could soon end.

Preston M. "Pete" Geren 3rd, a former secretary of the Army and U.S. lawmaker, recently joined the board of Texas Capital Bancshares in Dallas.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) shuffled some of its high-ranking executives and streamlined its investment and retail banking operations Friday.

If the agreement is approved, any merchant who has accepted Visa or MasterCard since 2004 will be unable to sue regarding interchange, network rules, merchant fees and related issues, even if that merchant is not receiving funds from the settlement.

Several BankThink opinion columns written by Joel Sucher, published between October 2011 and June 2012, mentioned the law firm of Stephen J. Baum, Litton Loan Servicing, or both. The columns should have disclosed that Baum's firm, working on behalf of Litton, had attempted to foreclose on the writer's property in 2009. American Banker's editors were unaware of this history at the time the columns were published.

First Niagara Financial Group swung to a loss in the second quarter on costs tied to its acquisition of retail branches from HSBC Bank.

Nonperforming assets spiked at several community banks in the second quarter, showing that bankers must remain mindful of the risks still embedded in their loan portfolios.

Wal-Mart balks at card settlement; analyst praises bad customer service at Wells Fargo; Sandy Weill, empire-builder, calls for dismantling of empires.

While customers resent paying fees for traditional banking services, they are receptive to paying fees for emerging services that support their financial lifestyles.

Consultants and others offer these tips on avoiding being duped by fraudulent advisors.

Iberiabank is among a handful of serial buyers of banks shuttering branches and taking other steps to lower expenses and raise earnings.

The National Grocers Association has joined other retailers including Wal-Mart (WMT) and Target (TGT) in voicing opposition to a recent agreement between merchants, Visa (NYSE:V) and MasterCard (MA) and a number of large banks over credit card swipe fees.

Valley National Bancorp's (VLY) second-quarter earnings slipped as the Wayne, N.J., company saw its expenses rise and recorded a higher provision for credit losses.