Beneficial Mutual Bancorp Inc. in Philadelphia said Tuesday that it has asked the Office of Thrift Supervision for permission to buy back up to 5% of its stock.

Arizona has become a new hotbed of banking, and one startup is making a name for itself with one-of-a-kind customer service. While most community banks tout their personalized service as a refreshing change from that of the big banks, Scottsdale-based Goldwater Bank has adopted the strategy to such a level that other industry players wonder whether it's straying from the very essence of what a bank should do.

A sense of complacency arose recently as banks were blindsided by increased default levels after exposure to subprime loans. Here's how to make sure it doesn't happen again.

A piggybacked, zero-down, delayed interest loan is a bad loan for anybody, but now big banks see opportunity in the turmoil.

Goldman taps the capital markets to pay for children's vaccinations.

Building loyalty among small-business customers has long been a struggle, but some banks say they've found the answer.

Willow Financial Bancorp Inc. in Wayne, Pa., said Monday that it cut previously reported earnings for its 2007 fiscal year by 10%, to $8.4 million, after discovering material weaknesses in its internal controls.

Franklin Bank Corp. in Houston is at a crossroads.

Provident Bankshares Corp. said Tuesday that its unit Provident Bank will provide for a $4.1 million reserve from third-quarter earnings in connection with a non-accrual status loan.

Great Lakes Bancorp Inc. said Monday it has stopped mortgage banking activities in Buffalo and Long Island, N.Y., and is no longer accepting residential mortgage applications.

Monarch Community Bancorp Inc. in Coldwater, Mich., said Friday that shareholders would vote Oct. 9 on its plan to go private and delist its shares, which currently trade on the Nasdaq exchange.

Two of Fulton Financial Corp.'s banking units have announced they plan to merge.

BCSB Bankcorp Inc. in Baltimore has pushed back the deadline for buying shares in its second-step conversion offering — and given current subscribers the chance to back out — after warning of worse-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results.

The Small Business Administration is testing a program meant to encourage more community banks and credit unions to make government-guaranteed loans in rural markets.

First Sound Bank in Seattle has an agreement to buy Puget Sound Leasing Co. in Bellevue, Wash.

An active acquirer for much of the 1990s, Frontier Financial Corp. of Everett, Wash., lost out on a number of potential deals this decade by being outbid by larger companies with deeper pockets.

Atlantic Southern Bank of Macon, Ga., will open its first Florida branch in Jacksonville.

Venture Financial Group Inc. of DuPont, Wash., is postponing its initial public offering.

Mutual of Omaha's foray into banking is still in the formative stage, but the insurer has already made clear it wants its operation to have a higher stand-alone retail profile than those run by rivals.

MIDDLE ATLANTIC