Webster Financial (WBS) in Waterbury, Conn., reported higher third-quarter profit as commercial loan growth made up for a steep decline in mortgage-banking revenue.

Raise your hand for assignments, find a strong team, call your mother. Advice to the next generation of women from the most powerful women in banking and finance.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. told banks Thursday to be wary of liability insurance policies that could still force directors and officers to have to pay civil damages.

The $775 million-asset company said Thursday that it raised the funds through a rights offering to existing shareholders.

OmniAmerican Bancorp (OABC) in Fort Worth, Texas, is exiting the business line that accounts for its largest single group of loans.

Synovus Financial (SNV) in Columbus, Ga., has formed an equipment-finance division. The group will be based in Charleston, S.C., the $26 billion-asset Synovus said Thursday.

Regions Financial (RF) has put its economic-development push in the hands of Jeff Rabren, a former Alabama legislative aide.

Bank of Georgetown hired Jeffrey Satterly to launch a unit that lends to federal contractors. But the shutdown could wreak havoc.

First Financial Bancorp in Cincinnati disclosed that its general counsel has resigned.

Bank mergers, failures and charter consolidations are cutting into the exam fees that provide the financial lifeblood for regulators in Idaho, Montana and other states. Their attempts to balance the budget can cause small banks to pay higher fees.

Norwood Financial (NWFL) in Honesdale, Pa., has added to the management team of its bank.

Julie Stackhouse at the St. Louis Fed admits that some regulators who once questioned the role of smaller institutions are now committed to hearing their concerns and making improvements.

Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) in Columbus, Ohio, has agreed to buy Camco Financial (CAFI) in Cambridge, Ohio.

While American Banker is celebrating the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance tonight in New York City, the National Geographic Society will be opening a major, three-year traveling exhibition focused on female photojournalists in Washington, D.C.

Regulation-by-numbers under Dodd-Frank is taking the art out of community banking and narrowing the borrowing window for lenders and needy borrowers alike. That was one of the key take-aways from the Federal Reserve's first ever conference on community bank research.

Prudential Bancorp (PBIP) in Philadelphia has completed its second-step conversion and $71.4 million public offering.

Republic Bancorp's deal to buy the bank operations of H&R Block collapsed because of regulators' apparent concerns about the mixing of banking and tax-refund processing. The deal would have helped restore a business already bruised by conflicts with regulators.

Risk managers are hopeful that the demand for new loans will rise, but a new study shows that they are increasingly worried that existing loans may go sour.

Banks had to devote more money to compliance in the third quarter after regulators increased the rate of new enforcement actions.

Enterprise Financial and Reliance Bancshares in St. Louis, under pressure to grow like most community banks, believe they have figured out how to expand into faraway markets yet avoid the mistakes that cost many banks during the financial crisis.