Banking

Ally Bank, the direct bank subsidiary of Ally Financial in Midvale, Utah, has launched an internally developed mobile banking app designed for larger screen iPad devices.

First National Bank of Green Forest in Arkansas has chosen a new name but kept it in the family, so to speak. The $347 million-asset bank will rebrand itself as Anstaff Bank, a blend of the names of its two founding families, Anderson and Stafford.

Cardinal Financial (CFNL) in Tysons Corner, Va., blamed a 14% drop in profits on acquisition-related expenses.

Guaranty Bancorp (GBNK) in Denver has bought Cherry Hills Investment Advisors in Greenwood Village, Colo.

Tom Wolfe, who oversees two of Wells Fargo's fastest-growing consumer businesses in credit cards and auto lending, will leave the bank later this year.

Bank of the Carolinas in Mocksville, N.C., has raised $46 million through a private placement. The $428 million-asset company said that it sold about 458 million shares of newly issued common stock at 10 cents each to unnamed institutional and accredited investors.

Farmers Bank & Trust in Magnolia, Ark., has agreed to acquire the 1st Bank of Texarkana, a $309 million-asset bank located just over the state line in Texas.

Bank of America Corp. reiterated an offer to pay about $13 billion to settle federal and state probes of mortgage-backed bond sales, a deal prosecutors had previously rejected, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

Bank of America executives downplayed expectations about commercial lending and warned about the dangers of lowering prices to build loan portfolios, while their counterparts at U.S. Bancorp reveled in double-digit growth in the category and pledged to stay aggressive.

Community Trust Bancorp (CTBI) in Pikeville, Ky., said Wednesday that its second-quarter earnings climbed 2% from the same period last year, to $12.2 million, due to improved loan quality and lower overhead.

Ocwen Financial (OCN) has created a community advisory council to address the needs of distressed borrowers amid regulatory scrutiny of the mortgage servicer.

Vantage Bancorp in San Antonio has agreed to buy Medina Bankshares in D'Hanis, Texas.

A community group opposes Banc of California's plans to buy 20 branches, saying management isn't being open about plans to serve low-income and minority customers. The bank says it’s all a misunderstanding. Still, the issue shows why banks must foster good relations with powerful advocacy groups.

IBM is creating new apps for banks their employees can use on iPhones and iPads. In doing so, Big Blue will help banks push legacy applications out to new devices, making many types of work possible on Apple devices.

Community Bancshares in McArthur, Ohio, has agreed to buy Citizens Bank of Asheville in Ohio.

A group led by Michael Quagliano, Solera's biggest shareholder, successfully took over the company's board last month, possibly ending a lengthy proxy battle.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a proposal Wednesday that would allow it to publish more information about individual complaints made by consumers about financial companies.

Borrowers with a first-lien modification and home equity line of credit could face a spike in their monthly mortgage obligations when the interest rates on both loans reset next year.

Western Union (WU) has appointed Robert W. Selander, former chief executive of MasterCard (MA), to its board of directors.

Bank of America completed a $2.1 billion bulk sale of nonperforming home loans in the second quarter, and is almost done with such dispositions, said Chief Financial Officer Bruce Thompson.