Banking

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., reported a rise in quarterly earnings after booking more loans and lowering credit costs.

Astoria Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., has agreed to sell certain nonperforming loans to Credit Suisse at a nearly $9 million loss.

CIT Group, the commercial lender led by John A. Thain, agreed to buy OneWest Bank parent IMB Holdco for $3.4 billion, attaching a regional bank to a national loan platform in an effort to boost profit.

Between the proposed virtual currency regulations in New York and those already established in Texas, the future of Bitcoin would be brighter if more states follow the Lone Star State's example, says Jacob Farber, senior counsel for Perkins Coie LLP.

BancorpSouth has delayed the closing of two bank acquisitions after regulators took issue with the Tupelo, Miss., company's compliance programs.

Washington Trust in Westerly, R.I., rode gains in its lending portfolio and lower operating expenses to a higher second-quarter profit.

Cardtronics Inc. is set to buy Welch ATM for $160 million, expanding the ATM provider with an additional 26,000 kiosks.

Cardtronics Inc. (CATM) is set to buy Welch ATM for $160 million, expanding the ATM provider with an additional 26,000 kiosks.

Advocates blame the securitization-financed, institutional-scale landlords for astronomical rents and poor maintenance and call for Congressional hearings and government oversight.

Zions Bancorp. in Salt Lake City reported a spike in quarterly earnings after posting a larger credit to its loan-loss provision and reducing noninterest expenses.

Altisource Portfolio Solutions' acquisition of Mortgage Builder Software will close next month, the companies announced Monday, following weeks of rumors but no official confirmation of the deal.

Arrow Financial (AROW) in Glens Falls, N.Y., posted higher quarterly earnings because of loan growth and an improved net interest margin.

The ".bank" Internet domain will soon be operated by the Financial Services Roundtable and a coalition of financial services industry organizations.

Apple's partnership with IBM is big and dramatic, but it’s unclear if it will offer anything bankers don't already have access to.

Most big banks have reported lower revenue for the second quarter, the downside of trying to beef up loans in a hotly competitive, low-rate lending market. Earnings reports at BB&T and SunTrust shed light on the problems of yield and margin that lie below the surface throughout the industry and threaten growth prospects.

Central Federal in Worthington, Ohio, raised roughly $12 million from a private placement of preferred stock.

In another reshuffling of its mortgage ranks, Bank of America has promoted D. Steve Boland, who joined the company through the 2008 acquisition of Countrywide Financial, to head residential lending.

Investors have never been shy about treating Bitcoin as an investment rather than a spendable currency, but the companies that operate in the digital currency space have had a harder time attracting capital.

Northwest Bancshares in Warren, Pa., saw its second-quarter profit decline due to the deterioration of its commercial loan portfolio and elevated expenses.