New York State's chief banking regulator is tightening the screws on banks that lend to landlords, increasing the requirements for Community Reinvestment Act credit.

The decision by private-equity backers of Sterling Financial to push for a sale of the entire Spokane company, rather than to merely unload their shares, surprised investors. It also showed that investor exits are a complex business which often defy expectations.

Frank and George Hamlin at Canandaigua National are turning letter writing into an art form as they rail against a wave of new bank regulation.

Failures, mergers and charter consolidations have all played a role in the latest decline, but what's really driving down the numbers is the lack of de novos.

Banks and credit unions are normally clash with each other, but pumping free gasoline for consumers while bashing big banks was a public-relations opportunity both sides found hard to resist.

Paul Aguggia is resigning from a large law firm to take the helm at Clifton Savings Bancorp in New Jersey, joining the company in advance of an anticipated second-step conversion.

Old National Bancorp (ONB) in Evansville, Ind., has agreed to sell two branches in Indiana: one to MainSource Financial, and one to River Valley Bancorp.

Many banks have programs to help children open their first bank accounts (and keep their parents coming back). Following are six banks whose marketing departments have gotten particularly creative in designing their children’s savings programs.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has terminated a consent order for Idaho First Bank in McCall.

Avidbank in Palo Alto, Calif., said that Kenneth Brenner will step down as president to become head of strategic relationships. Ronald Oliveria, Abidbank's chief credit officer, will succeed Brenner. The bank also made Dori Hamilton its chief banking officer.

UMB Financial in Kansas City, Mo., disclosed in a regulatory filing Thursday that a client is expected to move about $1.1 billion in deposits to an unnamed depository institution in the next 120 days.

Stonegate Bank (SGBK) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has agreed to buy Florida Shores Bancorp in Pompano Beach.

Simmons First (SFNC) in Pine Bluff, Ark., has submitted a bid in bankruptcy court in an effort to buy Metropolitan National Bank in Little Rock, Ark.

SP Bancorp in Plano, Texas, has applied for a state bank charter. The $300 million-asset company's SharePlus Bank is currently chartered as a federal thrift.

The $1.1 billion-asset company said in a press release Wednesday that its bank had been released from a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Reserve Board.

Clifton Savings Bancorp said Paul Aguggia, 50, will take over as the $1 billion-asset company's chairman, CEO and president on Jan. 1.

The recent leadership shuffle at Banesco USA may have resulted from problems in its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, according to a report in the South Florida Business Journal.

Michael Kubacki plans to give up the CEO role at the $3 billion-asset company and its bank after its annual meeting in April 2014.

Four people in Wichita, Kan., have pleaded guilty to participating in a mortgage fraud that cost lenders more than $221,000.

Banks in general are paying departing executives less money. But some, including Sterling Bancorp in New York, are still approving multimillion-dollar parachutes.