Retail & Commercial

Branch transformation is a hot topic these days — it seems everyone has a different idea of what it means. When I ask credit unions what they think of it, I get a myriad of responses.

Hampton Roads Bankshares (HMPR) in Virginia Beach, Va., reported higher net income that largely reflected lower expenses and a spike in income from bank-owned life insurance.

Longtime friends and business partners Alex Charfen and Price Givens have formally launched BitcoinWallet.com, which they plan to market as a social, consumer-friendly and transparent digital currency wallet.

State courts around the country are starting to reform the ways they handle lawsuits over unpaid bills, widening the regulatory overhaul of banks' and third parties' debt-collection practices.

Six Democrats whose support is crucial to a U.S. Senate plan to replace government-owned mortgage firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have decided they won't support the proposal without major revisions, dimming its chances of becoming law this year.

Glacier Bancorp (GBCI) in Kalispell, Mont., has agreed to buy First National Bank of the Rockies in Grand Junction, Colo.

Kevin Cummings, CEO of Investors Bancorp, wants to reach $30 billion in assets in the next six years, but he admits that Investors must sharpen its focus on commercial clients to achieve that objective.

The Federal Reserve is seeking input on a measure that would bar U.S. banks from acquisitions that push their share of all financial-company liabilities above a 10% threshold.

U.S. Bancorp (USB) supported $202 million of tax-credit-based financing in the southeastern United States last year, more than doubling its community development financing from the previous yea

A pair of acquisitions announced this week is creating chatter about out-of-market interest in Florida's banks. Still, some caution that bankers must be mindful of past mistakes by other long-distance buyers.