Retail & Commercial

Federal regulators have fined First Southern Bank (FSOF) in Boca Raton, Fla., for violating the National Flood Insurance Act.

Once heavy on grey type, Bank of North Carolina's reports are now dotted with colorful graphs, charts and heat maps so that busy senior executives and board members can quickly assess things like loan data and branch profitability and keep better tabs on the integration of acquired banks.

Julian Castro pledged to recapitalize the FHA insurance fund and work with Congress on GSE reform but equivocated when a Senator asked about cities condemning underwater mortgages.

The numerous recent retailer data breaches have led issuers, like BankPlus in Belzoni, Miss., to realize that they may have to replace most of their cards with little or no warning.

Warrants tied to Citigroup's bailout fell to a record low, down 87 percent from the price at which they were sold by the Treasury Department in a 2011 auction.

The California Housing Finance Agency is now offering all low- to moderate-income Californians an affordable mortgage loan program that includes down payment assistance and was originally designed for first-time buyers.

The agency has been applauded for efforts to shorten the application process for certain 7(a) loans, though the move has also raised concerns about the potential for loosened underwriting.

When the qualified mortgage rule took effect in January, many predicted the rule would stifle lending to low-income and minority borrowers. But a credit crunch never materialized, thanks to exemptions given to federal mortgage agencies.

Aging board members and bank executives can pose a threat to successful strategic planning, which requires the ability to think decades into the future.

Cambridge Bancorp in Boston is looking for a chief executive to succeed Joseph Roller when he retires next year.