Retail & Commercial

Unprecedented regulatory demands and competition require banks to continue innovating and diversifying, says Aubrey Patterson, the Tupelo, Miss.-based company's longtime CEO, in a wide-ranging interview.

CreditCall and ChipCap separately announced new readers that handle chip-and-PIN payments from cards that use the EMV standard.

Washington Federal (WAFD) in Seattle has sold $2.4 billion of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities and prepaid $876 million in long-term debt.

Seeking to increase its visibility in northern California, American River Bankshares (AMRB) in Sacramento has combined its three separately named banks under the name of its flagship brand.

Mutual thrift execs are having second thoughts about going public as dissident investors mount increasingly aggressive attacks on management. Critics charge the investors with gaming the system.

Western Liberty Bancorp (WLBC) was built to buy — but now it has decided to sell.

BOK Financial in Tulsa, Okla., has acquired the Milestone Group, a boutique investment firm in Denver that caters to high-net-worth families in Colorado and Nebraska.

Improved market conditions likely sparked Target's announcement last week that it is in talks with "several well-qualified partners" interested in buying its credit card portfolio.

In a surprising reversal, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed rules on Friday that will allow lenders to continue offering discount points and fees rather than a flat fee when originating home loans.

The Treasury Department plans next week to auction preferred shares in five banks that received a combined $84 million from the Troubled Asset Relief Program.