Banking and credit union regulators encouraged compassionate treatment of customers in Hawaii communities hit by wildfires. They also vowed to grant expedited approvals of temporary banking facilities, be flexible in compliance matters and provide other support to financial institutions.

Dan Sheehan, former CEO at Professional Bank in Coral Gables, said he's "putting the band back together" to spearhead his new, Texas-based employer's expansion plans in the Sunshine State.

Community bankers anticipate that interest rates could soon level off and the broader economy may avert a downturn as a result. If that forecast proves true, lenders could minimize credit losses and enjoy stronger loan demand than they had expected earlier in the year.

Thomas O'Brien has gained a reputation for being able to salvage institutions on the brink of disaster. With his latest rescue job nearly complete, the fix-it specialist ponders his next move.

The three former Washington Federal Bank for Savings board members were accused of giving the OCC false information in an attempt to hide embezzlement. They could face up to five years in prison for attempting to deceive the OCC.

In the wake of destruction across Maui, financial institutions based inside and outside of Hawaii are establishing support programs, raising relief funds and facilitating donations of food and clothing.

Right now it's every bank for themselves when it comes to translating financial disclosures into languages other than Spanish. The process comes with a number of challenges, such as ensuring all customers can understand the information despite nuances in the different Chinese dialects.

In his new book, "The Song of Significance," Seth Godin, a business management author, dives into how executives can rethink being profit driven and help create meaning in the work for employees.

Citizens Bank of Edmond in Oklahoma, in conjunction with the digital-banking platform Narmi, recently launched an account-opening process that occurs completely online. The project, completed in less than three months, could be a model for community banks that want to innovate but fear being a low priority for vendors.

The Wilmington, Delaware, bank announced this week that it had purchased Bell Rock Capital. WSFS' management says that legal troubles involving that investment advisory firm's founder won't affect the transaction.

The $1.6 billion-asset company said in a press release Wednesday that its directors "voted to terminate" Kevin Lycklama's employment. Dan Cox, chief credit officer, was named as acting president and CEO.

The nearly $81 million plan to buy Community Financial Group in Spokane, Washington, would mark the 13th acquisition in the past decade for Glacier. The Montana-based bank has more than tripled in size during that time.

The real threat is from undercapitalized banks, and regulators must require large banks to have enough capital to eliminate that threat.

Bankers say regulatory burden, rising costs and intensifying competition will reignite a drive for scale and spur dealmaking provided interest rates level off and the economic outlook improves.

Texas State Bankshares has agreed to buy Estrada Hinojosa & Co., one of the nation's biggest municipal underwriting and advisory firms.

The Vancouver, Washington, company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Kevin Lycklama was under investigation. It elaborated only to say that the matter did not involve the bank's financial condition.

Kansas Banking Commissioner David Herndon told American Banker that his agency declared Heartland Tri-State Bank insolvent because of a "very sudden" event that crippled the bank financially.

Critics of the Federal Home Loan banks fundamentally misunderstand the purpose and necessity of the system.

Investors should expect "consistency, predictability," says COO Tyler Wilcox, who is scheduled to take over for longtime CEO Chuck Sulerzyski when he retires next spring.

The Pittsburgh-based regional is leaning heavily on ATMs as part of a de novo expansion strategy in the lucrative Washington metropolitan region.