John Stumpf, chairman and chief executive of Wells Fargo, wrote an impassioned column for American Banker last week emphasizing the importance of community banks to the national economy and calling for Washington to unburden them from a stifling regulatory regime. Editors discuss why big banks have so much riding on the survival of their smaller rivals.

Republic First Bancorp (FRBK) in Philadelphia has settled a lawsuit for $2 million, which may delay its ability to claim a large deferred-tax allowance.

A new outsourcing model breaks work up into tiny pieces and farms it out to large groups of freelancers, taking advantage of "cognitive surplus."

Mark Severson plans to resign from Chemung Financial in Elmira, N.Y., Sept. 13 to pursue another opportunity, the $1.3 billion-asset company said Tuesday in a regulatory filing. Chemung will begin a search for his successor immediately.

Checking account fees may help banks pad revenue, but a new survey suggests that ATM and overdraft charges can send customers running.

Republic Bancorp (RBCAA) in Louisville said it is highly unlikely that it will complete its purchase of H&R Block Bank by the end of this year.

Holly Schreiber will step down Wednesday as chief financial officer of 1st Financial Services in Hendersonville, N.C. She will remain as a consultant while its sale to First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) is being completed.

Capital levels at SouthBank in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., have dropped below a minimum required by regulators.

Five Star Credit Union in Dothan, Ala., has agreed to buy Flint River National Bank in Camilla, Ga.

TowneBank (TOWN) in Portsmouth, Va., has converted all of its Series A preferred stock into common stock.

Regulators have lifted a seven-year-old enforcement action against CIB Marine Bancshares (CIBH) in Waukesha, Wis.

Banks hit another earnings record in the second quarter, but there were other pieces of good news tucked away inside the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s recently released Quarterly Banking Profile as well. From better credit quality to a falling number of "problem" banks, the industry had a lot to celebrate — even if it must also face the grim prospect that falling loan loss provisions won't boost earnings much longer.

Marie Blake now oversees the $13.1 billion-asset company's regulatory compliance department, it said Tuesday.

Pacific Commerce Bank (PFCI) has completed corrective steps mandated by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Douglas Manditch, chairman and chief executive at Empire National Bank, believes community banks are being squeezed by "overzealous" regulation and are feeling pressure to sell.

Independent Bank in Ionia, Mich., has exited the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

A judge has approved Anchor Bancorp Wisconsin's plan to file for bankruptcy.

When it agreed to be sold to Stifel last year, KBW was painted as a victim of weak bank M&A and the transformation of investment banking. Things are looking up now as the combined company ranked as the top advisor in four of six U.S. regions at midyear.

Student and auto lending surged in the 12-month period ended in July, according to an Equifax report released Thursday.

Total domestic deposit balances at institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. fell by $31 billion, or 0.3%, in the second quarter, according to analysis from Market Rates Insight.