Four Oaks Fincorp (FOFN) in Four Oaks, N.C., and its bank have agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle claims they ignored warning signs of a scheme to defraud customers.

Old National Bancorp says it learned its lesson from the recent defection of some important lenders from a bank it agreed to buy last fall, and it incorporated those in structuring its deal announced this week for United Bancorp.

The qualified-mortgage rule, reduced refi activity and ongoing commoditization are forcing smaller institutions to take a hard look at exiting the mortgage origination business.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC would be open to takeover offers for its U.S. subsidiary as it prepares the division for an initial public offering this year, the unit's chief executive officer said.

Legacy Bank of Florida in Boca Raton has raised more than $6.7 million from a common stock offering.

Community banks should let big banks take the lead on technology R&D, learn to quickly copy the best of what they come up with and outdo them on customer service, say executives of Rockville Bank, including its new virtual banking chief, Donna Patel.

If regulators want to limit the damage in Main Street communities, they should completely exempt Trups CDOs from the Volcker Rule. This would avoid needless writedowns without putting Main Street communities at financial risk.

The Dodd-Frank Act and other financial regulations enacted in the wake of the financial crisis have made banking a "worse place" by adding unwieldy and unnecessary restrictions on big banks, says Dick Bove. The longtime bank analyst also points a finger at regulators for failing to adequately enforce existing regulations in the lead-up to the crisis, a point he discusses at length, while defending big banks, in a new book.

Neighborhood National Bank in San Diego has named a former leader of Regents Bank as its president and chief executive.

Coastway Bancorp in Cranston, R.I., is planning to raise roughly $48.3 million in its conversion to a 100% stock-owned company.

Zombie companies have survived on the loose monetary policy of the past few years, designed to help at-risk businesses stay afloat and keep people employed in the wake of the financial crisis. But forthcoming changes will make it hard for these firms to repay their debt.

BancorpSouth (BXS) in Tupelo, Miss., has agreed to buy Ouachita Bancshares in Monroe, La.

Southern National Bancorp of Virginia (SONA) in McLean has agreed to buy Prince George's Federal Savings Bank in Upper Marlboro, Md.

BBVA Compass is cutting between 400 and 600 jobs in its banking and real-estate-lending divisions.

Mortgage lenders are eager to make home loans this year -- but consumers may be more hesitant to borrow.

Big banks stepped up small business lending at the end of 2013, according to the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index released Wednesday.

As more community banks look at working with alternative lenders, they must be mindful of the regulatory and reputational risk that can occur if they make a bad referral.

Some banks in downsizing mode are subleasing branches that are too large. Advocates say subleasing can help banks avoid selling branches for cheap; others warns about the cost-benefit of retrofitting a building.

The new year will bring an end to big regulatory settlements with banks, a sharp drop-off in the number of branches across the industry, increased use of biometric technology and a breakthrough in banks' use of big data. American Banker editors discuss these and other predictions for the year ahead in banking.

First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG) in Buffalo, N.Y., is laying off employees and shutting down branches as it seeks to retool its retail operations.