The wide disparity in valuations is driving the less desperate of would-be sellers to wait for a less volatile environment.

Desperate to purge their books of foreclosures, and tempted by the high price of agricultural land, some bankers and consultants predict an oncoming wave of community banks selling abandoned residential developments to buyers intent on converting the lots to farm land.

Flush with capital after raising roughly $1.1 billion in a stock sale late last year, Capitol Federal Financial Inc. in Topeka, Kan., now plans to deploy some of that capital by repurchasing up to 10% of its shares.

MutualBank in Muncie, Ind., has received regulatory approval to convert from a federal savings bank to a state commercial bank.

eBay's acquisition of BillSafe, which lets shoppers pay for purchases only after they receive a mailed invoice, shows its commitment to the instant-credit model. But observers warn that this model requires finely-tuned risk management to guard against fraud or excess delinquencies.

First Midwest Bancorp Inc. in Itasca, Ill., said Thursday that it paid $900,000 to repurchase a warrant it had issued to the Treasury Department as part of its participation in the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

E*Trade Financial Corp. and its insurers have agreed to pay $79 million to settle a class-action suit brought by investors over losses in its mortgage and home-equity loan portfolios.

ESSA Bancorp Inc. in Stroudsburg, Pa., announced early Thursday that it is buying the $421 million-asset First Star Bancorp Inc. in Bethlehem, Pa., for $24.2 million in cash and stock.

While banks are in varying stages of readiness for compliance, the FFIEC's guidance has affected smaller and regional banks disproportionately. Many must cobble together security systems from multiple vendors to make the grade.

The California attorney general's lawsuit against Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac raises questions about preemption and the FHFA's authority, but seems unlikely to produce revelations about foreclosures.

Residential loan applications fell by almost 3% for the week that ended Dec. 16, despite continued historically low rates, according to figures compiled by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

New Century Bancorp in Dunn, N.C., has agreed to sell two of its branches to Lumbee Guaranty Bank in Pembroke, N.C.

FORT LEWIS, Wash. – America’s CU has relocated its Lacey branch into a former Citizens Bank office.

BNC Bancorp in High Point, N.C., has agreed to buy KeySource Financial Inc. in Durham, N.C., in an all-stock deal valued at $12.2 million.

Bank of America dumped close to $1 billion in credit card assets in two separate deals announced on Wednesday, as part of its effort to slim down and focus on its core business lines.

With the settlement talks over foreclosure violations inching closer to a final deal, two members of Congress are urging the Justice Department not to approve any deal that releases servicers from violations of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

First National Bank of Omaha next year will launch three cobranded credit card programs, Steve Eulie, the president of First National's First BankCard credit card division, said.

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it has reached a $335 million settlement with Countrywide, now owned by Bank of America, in the largest fair lending action in history.

Webster Financial Corp. in Waterbury, Conn., has notified investors that it is considering raising more capital for the purpose investing in new business lines, bolstering its capital levels and perhaps making acquisitions.

The $293 million-asset Southwest Georgia Financial Corp. wants to expand in Valdosta, Ga., and other key markets.