Banking

Lending to small and mid-sized enterprises and fee businesses like wealth management are the key to Zions Bancorp.'s growth plans, says its CEO Harris Simmons.

First Niagara (FNFG) Chief Executive John Koelmel, an aggressive bank buyer who described himself in basketball terms as a "shooter," fittingly lost his job on the eve of the March Madness tournament. Here's a look at his trajectory at the bank.

Western Alliance Bancorporation in Phoenix is looking for a new chief operating officer. Kenneth Vecchione will resign on April 5 to become the chief executive at another publicly traded financial services company, Western Alliance said Wednesday.

InvesTex Credit Union has agreed to acquire StarTrust Federal Credit Union, the troubled former Enron credit union, in a combination of Houston institutions.

William Houlihan, a former CFO for Hudson United Bank in Mahwah, N.J., will become the top financial officer at the $3.7 billion-asset Amalgamated, the company said Wednesday.

City National Bank said this week that it is launching a new online and mobile business app for its customers.

Nice Systems announced this month that it's launching its Proactive Compliance Suite for Consumer Protection software. The technology helps banks quickly respond to audits and adhere to federal and state regulations.

A complete site makeover has brought the Buffalo bank more online account openings and higher customer satisfaction among online banking users.

Capital One, Nationstar and Flagstar Bancorp are among 10 banks and servicers that have been slow to process payouts of insurance claims to homeowners hit by Hurricane Sandy, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo charged.

Visa Inc. would benefit from buying Visa Europe Ltd. because creating a single global business would outweigh regulatory risk, JPMorgan Chase & Co. says.

Fentura Financial (FETM) in Fenton, Mich., has turned a profit thanks to an improvement in its loan portfolio.

Spending forecasts suggest mobile is a top priority for banks in 2013.

Bank of Virginia (BOVA) in Midlothian is committing more than $80 million to two programs involving federally backed debt.

Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., has formed a health care banking group for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, according to a news report.

American Banker has opened the application period for a new program that will identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in the banking industry.

Abolish the public/private hybrid model of Fannie and Freddie, sell or liquidate their businesses, and privatize the mortgage market. This can be done in an orderly way in a few easy steps.

As VeriFone Systems Inc. seeks new leadership to help it tackle its ongoing challenges, smaller rivals are looking at their own operations to determine which opportunities to seize in the payments hardware market.

First PacTrust Bancorp (BANC) in Irvine, Calif., is delaying the filing of its annual report after switching auditors and seeing several top executives leave in recent months.

LNB Bancorp in Lorain, Ohio, has retired a large chunk of its bailout money by offering its owners common stock.

Enterprise said Tuesday that its banking subsidiary has reached a deal to buy Gorman & Gorman Home Loans, a division of F&M Bank and Trust in Hannibal, Mo.