Retail & Commercial

New York banks have been worried that Mayor Bill de Blasio's plans for affordable housing would hurt multifamily lending. But two recent city political decisions have been favorable for banks, and some CEOs say they're hopeful now.

OptimumBank Holdings (OPHC) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is optimistic that raising roughly $850,000 will help it remain on the Nasdaq.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp recently recruited William Ryan, retired TD Banknorth CEO, leading some observers to discuss what role he might play in the Massachusetts company's growth plans.

The Maryland banker and former ICBA chair was a champion for changing how the FDIC assessed fees years before the Dodd-Frank Act altered the calculation. Other bankers recall Menzies' enthusiasm and zeal.

Banks can increase the efficiency of their mortgage businesses by requiring loan officers to generate leads from outside referral sources and assigning officers only to branches in markets with high origination potential.

Jim Harper, global policy counsel at the Bitcoin Foundation, wants the trade group's new lobbying firm, Thorsen French Advocacy to model their government relations work to his efforts in introducing Capitol Hill to PayPal in the early 2000s.

Australian financial authorities have updated a publication that is partly geared to ensuring collection activity is handled in keeping with the country's consumer protection laws.

F.N.B. Corp. (FNB) has moved its corporate headquarters to Pittsburgh.

A debt collection telephone scam in West Virginia is targeting consumers by summoning them to court over unpaid credit card accounts - debt that in most cases apparently does not exist.

A breakdown of M&A announcements in the financial services industry for the week ended July 5.