U.S. regional banks see favorable growth prospects in Canada. Its limited number of banks seems to invite competition, and its regulatory and economic climates are considered more favorable than those in the U.S.

A former employee of UMB Financial (UMBF) in Kansas City, Mo., has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $650,000 from the company.

The three-year statute of limitations from when bank failures peaked has already passed, and yet filings of Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. suits against former officers and directors continue to grow.

First Horizon National (FHN) in Memphis, Tenn., has reached an agreement with Freddie Mac related to home loans originated and sold to the government-sponsored entity between 2000 and 2008.

The founder of Pacific Commerce Bank (PFCI), Kenneth Kasamatsu, will retire at the beginning of April to pursue other interests.

Dime Community Bancshares (DCOM) in Brooklyn, N.Y., has appointed a new chief operating officer.

The online business lender OnDeck has partnered with ProfitStars to help provide credit to small businesses that may not qualify for loans from banks or credit unions.

After pressure from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said she agreed with a proposal to require the central bank's board to vote on significant enforcement actions.

Banks and other financial institutions can minimize their losses on checking accounts by limiting the kinds that they offer, according to a new report from economic research firm Moebs Services.

Credit unions' tax exemption looks safe again this year on Capitol Hill, but that didn't stop the American Bankers Association from mounting an intense advertising and lobbying attack that also served as rallying cry for the Credit Union National Association.

Executives at Webster Financial, Independent Bank and People's United agree that their retail operations have to change -- but the consensus stops there. Some are adding branches, some are cutting them, and they are all using new technologies in different ways.

Madison Bancorp (MDSN) in Baltimore, Md., plans to deregister its common stock and stop reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

EagleBank in Bethesda, Md., has hired three former Virginia Commerce Bank executives.

First Republic Bank (FRC) in San Francisco has appointed a new chief operating officer and extended the employment contracts for its chief executive and president.

Oconee Federal Financial Corp. (OFED) in Seneca, S.C., has agreed to buy Stephens Federal Bank in Toccoa, Ga.

Serial bank acquirers might stop to catch their breath some times, but many realize that their next deal is always on the horizon. Three of those banks recently discussed their plans to return to M&A at a conference in Boston.

Following a series of high-profile data breaches, legislators in the nation's largest state are kicking off a debate that has nationwide implications.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s fourth-quarter report on industry health showed continued challenges to growth, but the second straight increase in net interest margins is a promising sign for the future.

NASB Financial (NASB) in Grandview, Mo., has been released from a consent order issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The Federal Reserve Board has released Metropolitan Bank Holding in New York from a January 2011 enforcement action.