Treating all loans alike unnecessarily harms small businesses. Most are innocent bystanders, but high administrative expenses keep their loans from generating strong returns.

The Treasury Department said Friday that it plans to auction warrants in Citigroup Inc., Boston Private Financial Holdings and Wintrust Financial Corp., disposing of its remaining holdings in the companies.

Cardinal Financial Corp. in McLean, Va., said Friday that it probably incurred a goodwill impairment charge of $2.6 million in the fourth quarter.

LOWELL, Mass. – Jeanne D’Arc CU, chartered almost a century ago, last week announced it bought two new buildings a block from its longtime offices where it plans to site a new headquarters.

Webster Financial Corp. in Waterbury, Conn., beat analysts' estimates Friday, reporting fourth-quarter net income of $25 million, or 30 cents a share.

OCEANSIDE, Calif. – Pacific Marine CU, chartered to serve employees at the Marine Corp.’s Camp Pendleton, has moved off base as it plans to expand its field of membership.

The $2.2 billion-asset United Western said in a Jan. 12 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it had entered into its sixth forbearance agreement on a $16.25 million line of credit with the New York banking company.

State Bank and Trust of North Dakota has closed its purchase of Bell Mortgage, a lender based in Minneapolis.

For the first time in years, there is some optimism about community banks' results ahead of the quarterly reporting season.

Regulators Friday closed the $231 million-asset Oglethorpe Bank in Brunswick, Ga., the third failed institution in 2011.

Regulators Friday closed the $231 million-asset Oglethorpe Bank in Brunswick, Ga., the third failed institution in 2011.

For the first time in years, there is some optimism about community banks' results ahead of the quarterly reporting season.

SI Financial Group Inc. in Willimantic, Conn., said late Wednesday that it had completed its conversion to a stock holding company from a mutual holding company.

Eureka Financial Corp. in Pittsburgh said Thursday that it had received conditional approval from its regulator to finish converting to a stock company from a mutual holding company.

Washington Federal Inc. in Seattle said Thursday that fourth-quarter net income more than tripled to $24.5 million from $7.9 million a year earlier.

Commerce Bancshares Inc. in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday reported fourth-quarter net income rose 25% from a year earlier, fueled by fee income.

Investors hoping that dividend increases expected at large banks will trickle down to community banks are probably out of luck.

A total of 3,825,637 foreclosure filings — including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on a record 2,871,891 U.S. properties in 2010, an increase of nearly 2% from 2009 and an increase of 23% from 2008, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties, in its Year-End 2010 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report released Thursday.

U.S. consumers' average credit scores slipped one point in the past year, and credit card debt fell by 8% to $7,404 during the same period, according to data released by Credit Karma on Wednesday.

The Treasury Department announced Wednesday that two financial companies have repaid funds they received in the government's banking bailout.