Banking

North Shore Bank in Brookfield, Wis., bank celebrated its 90th anniversary by giving cash awards to three money management instructors. Find out why the bank has long had a soft spot for teachers.

First Business Financial Services (FBIZ) in Madison, Wis., is looking for a new chief financial officer.

Hamilton Bank (HBK) in Baltimore has poached three executives from CFG Community Bank in Lutherville, Md.

Remember when Hall of Famers Phil Rizzuto and Jim Palmer used to shill for The Money Store? Financial firms continue to rely heavily on high-profile endorsements. Following are some noteworthy examples.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), the biggest U.S. bank, revised its gauge of market gains and losses to incorporate new regulatory requirements, resulting in a jump in the frequency of losses last year.

Everett Stern, who last year filed a lawsuit urging further U.S. investigation of his ex-employer HSBC, has decided to run for Congress on a platform of getting tougher on banks and cleaning up Washington.

Allowing merchants to set up recurring debits or pull money from a Bitcoin account seems in conflict with the Bitcoin protocol itself, which was built for push transactions, allowing consumers to have a better handle on what payments they make. But pull transactions are just what a partnership between Coinbase and Balanced will enable.

It's unclear who is behind the online campaign "Stop the Choke," but its message is clear: oppose the Justice Department investigation of the banking system's ties to firms that could be involved in fraud.

Debt buyer Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA) Inc. announced Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Aktiv Kapital AS, an Oslo Norway-based accounts receivable management company in one of the largest deals in accounts receivable management history.

VantageSouth Bancshares (VSB) in Raleigh, N.C., has redeemed all outstanding shares issued to the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

City National (CYN) in Los Angeles is transferring an executive to become head of its bank's New York private client services group.

PL Capital scored another victory this week when it put an end to a proxy challenge against Alliance Bancorp of Pennsylvania (ALLB) in Broomall.

A financial reform group hoping to block the government's $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan Chase faces a steep uphill climb.

Banner Corp. (BANR) in Walla Walla, Wash., has agreed to buy six branches in Oregon from Sterling Financial (STSA) in Spokane, Wash.

FNBH Bancorp (FNHM) in Howell, Mich., plans to raise up to $1.5 million in a rights offering.

Westpac New Zealand chief digital officer Simon Pomeroy is piloting mobile banking apps for Google Glass and smart watches as well as iBeacon applications in the bank's branches.

South Street Financial had just given up on raising capital and had hired Raymond James to evaluate possible suitors when a BNC representative visited the CEO's office to request merger talks.

Bankers are mulling new ways to serve consumers with low incomes and poor credit profiles after the crackdown on deposit advances, but the prospect of smaller profits and continuing uncertainty about regulations may dissuade a serious effort.

The volume of complaints lodged by distressed borrowers to four of the largest U.S. banks has stabilized, the monitor for the national mortgage settlement says.

"Servicers now face compensatory fees, not for mistakes or unreasonable delays, but simply as the cost of doing business," Mortgage Bankers Association President David Stevens says.