Retail & Commercial

West Bancorp. recently took out a loan to buy back 8% of its common stock, while BNC Bancorp used borrowed funds to exit Tarp.

U.S. foreclosure activity increased 2% in May, even as the recovery in many local housing markets is showing gains, online marketplace RealtyTrac said.

Security State Bank has agreed to buy Security State Bank in a deal that could eliminate some brand confusion in central Iowa.

Some banks have transformed their loan portfolios with a focus on business borrowers, and made strides in profitability at the same time.

New indications that an overdraft fee crackdown is looming has added fresh urgency to bankers' quest to expand revenues. American Banker editors discuss some of the latest twists in the industry's search for ways to generate new business and cut costs.

PNC Financial Services, the second-largest U.S. regional bank, faces the same decision on its 21 percent stake in BlackRock that confronts many individual investors: sell or hold?

Citizens Bank of Kansas in Kingman has traded in its national charter for a state charter.

Urban Partnership Bank announced Thursday it would open a branch in a Wal-Mart slated for Chicago's Pullman neighborhood.

Heartland Financial USA in Dubuque, Iowa, has agreed to buy Morrill Bancshares in Merriam, Kan.

Square Inc. has redesigned its mobile payment app, displaying its merchants as thumbnail images instead of as a list and placing a greater emphasis on discounts and loyalty.