Banking

New data released Tuesday showed more signs of improvement in the nation's housing market, as home prices rose and mortgage rates remained low.

Banking powers, specifically the power to accept demand deposits, should be limited by Congress to institutions qualifying for federal deposit insurance. Otherwise we face uncontrolled systemic risk from inconsistently regulated entities.

ECB Bancorp (ECBE) in Engelhard, N.C., became a more-attractive seller after posting higher quarterly earnings.

PremierWest had to sell because it could not raise the "sizable" amount of capital it needed to go on, its CEO says.

Heartland Financial (HTLF) in Dubuque, Iowa, reported that third-quarter earnings more than tripled from a year earlier.

The Center for Responsible Lending said the companies settle only a fraction of the debts they set out to settle.

As Hurricane Sandy makes its way inland, bankers from Virginia to Maine are now focusing on post-storm crisis management. Payrolls for late October are a key concern.

The coming year will be "the year of voice biometrics" for authenticating bank customers, according to Al Pascual, security, risk and fraud analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research. Consumers want it and banks can afford it, research shows.

Crescent Financial Bancshares in Raleigh, N.C., continued to narrow its losses during the third quarter.

Banks like Huntington Bancshares and Mercantile Bank of Michigan have no immediate plans to upgrade to Windows 8 internally, which is a typical stance of businesses toward enterprise upgrades.

After absorbing the OTS, the OCC abandoned a comprehensive and sophisticated approach to monitoring interest rate risk.

State Bank Financial in Atlanta has named one of its founding shareholders and current board member as its vice chairman and president.

An increase in commercial lending boosted quarterly earnings at Provident New York Bancorp in Montebello, N.Y.

Flat lending and weaker margins hurt Pinnacle Bankshares in Altavista, Va., in the third quarter. Earnings fell 34%, to $399 million, from a year earlier.

If the banking industry has the upper hand in the fight over swipe fees — and it certainly appears to — its advantage stems in no small part from divisions within the eight million retailers in the United States. It's always easier to defeat a divided enemy than a united one.

Parkmobile USA Inc. is making payment for metered parking spaces less expensive for its members in Washington, D.C. with a Parkmobile Wallet option for aggregating credit or debit card transactions.

Credit bureau and data verification provider Equifax has developed a service to help payment processors meet merchant validation requirements for new tax reporting obligations that went into effect this year.

Lender Processing Services said Monday it will pay $1.8 million to settle claims by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers that it allowed unauthorized signatures and improper notarizations of mortgage documents.

A tax expense dragged down Orrstown Financial Services (ORRF) in Shippensburg, Pa., in the third quarter.