Banking

Jeanne Hulit, the acting head of the Small Business Administration, is leaving Washington behind to join Northeast Bank in Lewiston, Maine, as the president of its Northeast community banking division.

Bankers feel more optimistic about their business as crisis memories fade, and more open-minded about M&A as deal prices rise, but concerns about compliance challenges and regulators' tough reviews of merger applications are keeping their enthusiasm in check.

S&T Bancorp (STBA) of Indiana, Pa., said Tuesday that its fourth-quarter profit increased 25% from the same period in 2012, to $11.9 million, due largely to improved asset quality and solid growth in both consumer and commercial loans.

Southern First Bancshares (SFST) in Greenville, S.C., used a private placement to convert preferred stock tied to the Troubled Asset Relief Program into common stock.

The Los Angeles company had to negotiate with the government, private equity, nonprofits and other banks to recapitalize its bank.

Charlie Shrem, the digital currency entrepreneur indicted on money laundering charges, has resigned as vice chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation.

Charlie Shrem, the digital currency entrepreneur indicted on money laundering charges, has resigned as vice chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation.

New York's financial regulator today said that the state will propose regulations for oversight of virtual currencies such as Bitcoin this year.

Benjamin Lawsky, New York's financial regulator, today said that the state will propose regulations for oversight of virtual currencies such as Bitcoin this year.

The Minneapolis bank has found a novel way to persuade depositors to try online bill pay -- a service known to discourage customers from moving accounts but that banks nationwide are struggling to get more accountholders to use.

First Financial Holdings (SCBT) of Columbia, S.C., reported net income Tuesday of $13.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2013, a 44.7% increase from the same quarter in 2012.

NBT Bancorp (NBTB) in Norwich, N.Y., reported fourth-quarter net income of $17.9 million, a 37% increase from a year earlier.

Community banking representatives met with hostility a recommendation that the U.S. Postal Service consider offering financial services. The proposal raises questions about whether the Obama administration is trying to circumvent Congress and replace payday lenders with a government entity. American Banker staffers discuss.

FirstMerit (FMER) in Akron, Ohio, announced a substantial increase in net income because of its April purchase of Citizens Republic Bancorp in Flint, Mich.

Banks and others have been rolling out new technologies and updated features in recent weeks that are designed to improve customer satisfaction. Following are five ways banks are aiming to use software upgrades to delight customers in major and minor ways.

HSBC North America is doubling its international loan program with an eye on emerging international markets.

Institutions with solid, but underperforming assets and lagging stock price valuation multiples are vulnerable to activist investors. Address problems before they are attracted to your bank.

Jefferies Group said it agreed to pay $25 million as part of a settlement with regulators into suspected abuses in trading of mortgage-backed securities. The deal includes a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Connecticut.

The $5.7 billion-asset company said Monday that it had promoted Josephine Iannelli as its CFO, effective immediately. Iannelli, 41, had been the company’s principal accounting officer since July.

Does Bitcoin require its own set of regulations, or can businesses that trade in the virtual currency and payment system be policed effectively under existing rules?