Retail & Commercial

Cost-cutting efforts that once aided earnings hit a wall in the fourth quarter as noninterest expenses – particularly in compliance and tech – exceeded forecasts. Banks are still talking about expense control, but the results highlight the pressure to produce more revenue.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

Green Dot Corp. plans to start offering credit lines to its customers, a move that likely foreshadows how new regulations will reshape the prepaid card industry.

MB Financial in Chicago reported a sharp rise in quarterly earnings in its first full quarter following the acquisition of Taylor Capital.

National Bank Holdings in Greenwood Village, Colo., has finally returned to the acquisition game, by agreeing to buy Pine River Bank in Bayfield, Colo.

The move likely foreshadows the market impact of proposed regulations requiring prepaid card issuers to assess consumers' ability to repay before extending credit.

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 from social media platforms and the blogosphere.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against a judge in Georgia and Judicial Correction Services, claiming the private company's debt collection practices led to poor people being jailed because they couldn't pay.

Great Western Bancorp in Sioux Falls, S.D., reported lower profit in its first quarter since completing its initial public offering.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., reported a quarterly loss as it racked up higher expenses to resolving anti-money laundering issues.