The president of the Government National Mortgage Association, Ted Tozer, has been trying in vain to get more mortgage companies to issue mortgage-backed securities, but Wells Fargo & Co. continues to increase its grip on the government market.

Richard Cordray is right to crack down on illegal practices in payday lending. It is essential that his agency also ensure consumers continue to have online access to emergency credit products.

John Keach Jr., the chairman and CEO of Indiana Community Bancorp, which agreed to sell to a rival this week, speaks for many bankers in ticking off the threats to going it alone as a community bank — and explains why his bank decided it had to get out now.

Buoyed by a lower loan-loss provision, Lakeland Financial Corp. in Warsaw, Ind., said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter profits rose 43% from a year earlier, to $8.3 million.

Prepaid card companies have had great success at attracting the underbanked, but their prices remain high compared to banks' — and they might have no choice but to keep them high.

Umpqua Holdings Corp. in Portland, Ore., said late Wednesday that its fourth-quarter profit was nearly triple that of a year earlier, due largely to improved asset quality.

S.Y. Bancorp Inc. in Louisville, Ky., reported Wednesday that its fourth-quarter profits climbed 5% from a year earlier, to $6.3 million, because of tax adjustments.

Banks lost billions of dollars in overdraft revenue last year, even as they passed on higher fees to consumers, according to a study by Moebs Services Inc.

Tompkins Financial Corp. in Ithaca, N.Y., reported higher quarterly and annual earnings on Wednesday despite mounting pressure in its net interest margin.

Popular Inc.'s management deemed 2011 a "turnaround" year as the San Juan, Puerto Rico, while projecting an even better 2012.

Bank of the James Financial Group Inc. in Lynchburg, Va., said that its common stock began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market exchange on Wednesday.

First Midwest Bancorp Inc. in Itasca, Ill., swung to a profit in the fourth-quarter, after losing more than $30 million a year earlier.

Earlier this month, Citi announced the expansion of its popular "thankyou" program with a new Facebook app. If the number of likes (185,000 and counting) on Citi's page is any indication, it appears Citi has found a compelling way to engage its youngest and most fickle customers in the place they spend most of their digital time.

The Michigan company reported its fourth straight annual loss, despite a dogged attempt to harness problem credits.

Bank of Kentucky Financial Corp. in Crestview Hills will be looking for a new chairman after Rodney Cain informed the company that he is stepping down from its board.

CFPB joins forces with others on database of financial companies found to prey on servicemembers.

HSBC confirmed Wednesday that it is under investigation by a U.S. Senate panel in connection with money laundering, the latest in a series of official inquiries.

Obama's plan to pay for expanded refis turns heads, but similar proposals for bank fee have fallen flat before.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. in San Antonio said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter earnings rose 4% from a year earlier, due to improvements in credit quality and earning assets.

New York Community Bancorp Inc. in Westbury, N.Y., reported Wednesday that fourth-quarter profits fell more than 21% from a year earlier, to $117.7 million, due largely to a decline in noninterest income.