Retail & Commercial

A rough economy, regulation and evolving technology will keep forcing small banks to merge, said Richard Hunt, head of the Consumer Bankers Association. Hunt's position puts him at odds with bank advocates, including Camden Fine at the Independent Community Bankers of America, who believe small banks should ignore the drumbeat calling for more consolidation.

Flagstar Bancorp in Troy, Mich., has launched a national homebuilder lending platform.

Sterling Bancshares in Poplar Bluff, Mo., has completed its purchase of Bootheel Bancorp in Poplar Bluff.

Community bank executives need to focus on these three areas in order to embrace change and cater to younger, tech-savvy customers.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

WASHINGTON — State regulators and House lawmakers warned the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau not to preempt state laws when the agency issues its proposal to regulate payday-type loans.

Capital Payments LLC, an Independent Sales Organization (ISO), has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it allowed a telemarketing scheme called The Tax Club to use merchant accounts to process consumers’ credit card payments.

TransUnion has acquired a 71% ownership interest in CIFIN (Central de Informacion Financiera), one of two primary credit bureaus in Colombia, for approximately $127 million.

Bank of Missouri knew that using new technology was important in making its business processes more efficient. But its IT team also knew that it had to get buy-in from the employees actually completing the steps as well to see real results.

Bank of Prairie Village in Kansas went through a core conversion last year. Its chairman hopes that his sons, who are set to take over the bank eventually, won't be afraid to embrace new technology since they've experienced the scariest of all bank IT projects.