Banking

PremierWest Bancorp's campaign to persuade shareholders to approve a merger with AmericanWest Bank has not yet reached its goal. The deal is on hold for one more month as the companies wait for proxy votes to come in.

Even as the financial crisis gives way to a recovery, everyone from Sen. Elizabeth Warren to comedian Stephen Colbert are demanding Washington get tough on banks and bankers. The question is what sort of action-if any-will follow.

Solera National Bancorp in Lakewood, Colo., is revisiting a deal that regulators blocked three years ago, with a few modifications.

NEW YORK – NCUA has asked a federal bankruptcy court in the huge Residential Capital Chapter 11 bankruptcy to expedite more than $300 million of claims related to the 2009 collapse of WesCorp FCU, one of dozens of investors in mortgage-backed securities issued by the one-time subprime mortgage subsidiary of GMAC.

A small Texas bank has agreed to pay $700,000 to settle allegations that it discriminated against Hispanic borrowers by charging them higher prices on unsecured consumer loans.

Huntington Bancshares is adding to its presence in West Virginia.

SCBT Financial in Columbia has agreed to buy First Financial Holdings in Charleston in a deal between South Carolina banks.

Elliott Management, a firm controlled by hedge fund manager Paul Singer, bought roughly 3.8 million shares of National Bank Holdings' stock during the fourth quarter, according to an SEC filing.

Many merchant payment systems lack the technology needed to safely store card data, resulting in 70% of merchants not meeting data security requirements, a new report says.

For the processor Total System Services (TSS), buying the prepaid card marketer NetSpend (NTSP) is transformational. For NetSpend it's going to be business as usual, the companies say.

A unit of the Chinese army has been launching advanced persistent threat attacks against U.S. organizations including banks. Security software company Mandiant’s chief security officer offers insight and advice.

Payment processor TSYS (TSS) is bolstering its position in the prepaid card market through big acquisition.

Capital One is backpedaling from one of its two big deals last year, dumping a $7 billion credit card portfolio as it struggles to justify the rest of its investment.

Bank of America (BAC) has agreed to pay $12 million to settle a class action seeking overtime pay for Merrill Lynch workers.

Gold Coast Bank in Islandia, N.Y., is beginning its second round of financing after announcing that its fourth-quarter profit more than doubled.

A third-party arbitrator, responding to a complaint filed by Discover Financial Services (DFS), has ruled that JPMorgan Chase (JPM) did not mislead consumers regarding its Chase Freedom credit card.

Bank of America Corp., the second- biggest U.S. lender, gave Chief Executive Officer Brian T. Moynihan about $12 million in total compensation for 2012 and will boost his salary 58 percent this year.

The new automated teller machine design Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) announced Monday is meant to provide a more customized experience for customers, an executive at the bank says.

F.N.B. in Pennsylvania announced Tuesday it would acquire PVF Capital, a rehabbed thrift, as a platform for C&I growth in Cleveland.

SoFi, a San Francisco startup, aims to shake up the market by offering favorable rates to borrowers with the highest earnings potential.