Retail & Commercial

M&A could leave Chicago with 100 banks in seven years; rural banks in Midwest fetch better prices; and some large banks may have to shrink, say Stephen Nelson and Eugene Katz of D.A. Davidson.

Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) has hired a veteran executive from Bank of America (BCA) to lead a new energy lending initiative.

The president and chief operating officer of Peapack-Gladstone Financial (PGC) will leave the Bedminster, N.J., company at the end of the year.

Providing a safe harbor for only some qualified mortgage loans will swing the stringent credit standard pendulum further in the wrong direction.

The National Advertising Division, a 10-person shop that's based in New York, investigates allegations that companies are engaging in deceptive marketing, often after a competitor lodges a complaint. Just last week, the organization released its ruling in a big-money dispute between JPMorgan Chase and Capital One Financial.

Meetinghouse Bancorp in Dorchester, Mass., raised roughly $6.6 million from its initial public offering.

The $6.2 billion-asset First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) will close 10 branches to cut costs, according to a report.

The Treasury Department will receive $62 million from its latest auction of stakes it owns in banks through the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Seeking to accelerate a process that results in taking someone's home should not be done lightly. Plus, a major driver of foreclosure time is not state law but who services the mortgage.

A dedicated line to Ray Davis' Portland, Ore., office is just another retail touch that helps the bank distinguish itself from competitors.