Americas

Aided by gains in fee income, lower expenses and double-digit commercial loan growth, FirstMerit in Akron, Ohio, reported a profit of $59.5 million in the second quarter, up nearly 23% from the same period in last year.

Ion Bank is expanding the use of video tellers in its branches a little more than a year after initially deploying this technology.

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., met bullish second-quarter earnings expectations as loan growth offset a decline in fee income.

Goodwill industries is investigating a possible theft of customer card data.

First Merchants in Muncie, Ind., has agreed to buy Community Bancshares in Noblesville, Ind.

Wilshire Bancorp (WIBC) in Los Angeles reported an increase in quarterly profit tied largely to recent acquisitions.

Fueled by strong growth in commercial real estate and specialty lending, Signature Bank in New York reported another record profit for the quarter that ended June 30.

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., reported a rise in quarterly earnings after booking more loans and lowering credit costs.

WASHINGTON — Top lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee debated the value of the Dodd-Frank Act in dueling reports on Monday, commemorating the financial reform law's fourth anniversary.

Astoria Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., has agreed to sell certain nonperforming loans to Credit Suisse at a nearly $9 million loss.