The regional banks face a False Claims Act probe by the departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development into how they originated FHA-insured loans. Large fines may follow.

Banks and credit unions are squaring off on the social media front over a Depression-era law that exempts credit unions from federal income taxes.

M&T Bank is expected to complete its purchase of Hudson City Bancorp despite unexpected regulatory issues. But an analyst had fun speculating about who might step in as the buyer if that deal collapsed.

The president and chief executive of First Financial Northwest (FFNW) in Renton, Wash., will step down next week.

Sierra Vista Bank (SVBA) in Folsom, Calif., has hired a new president and chief executive.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has settled charges against a former executive of UCBH Holdings, the parent of the failed United Commercial Bank in San Francisco.

Independent Bank Group (IBTX) in McKinney, Texas, has agreed to buy Live Oak Financial Corp. in Dallas.

The Department of Justice has dropped a deferred money-laundering case against the banking unit of Ocean Bankshares in Miami, the company announced Thursday.

Merger negotiations are starting to resemble job interviews as more bankers hope to retain some level of control after begrudgingly selling their institutions.

The Federal Reserve Board has released Fentura Financial in Fenton, Mich., from an enforcement action.

A California man is scheduled for sentencing today by a federal judge for several Los Angeles bank robberies, including at least one in which he used a gun-shaped cigarette lighter.

Market conditions settled down in July after a spike in long-term rates spooked borrowers and bank executives a month earlier.

Regions Financial is sponsoring the college football museum that opens next year in Atlanta, a priority market for Regions.

KeyWorth Bank in Johns Creek, Ga., has agreed to buy a branch from Signature Bank of Georgia in Sandy Springs.

Pulaski Financial in St. Louis has repurchased $6 million worth of its Troubled Asset Relief Program shares following their auctioning last year by the Treasury Department.

Easier access to credit helped boost small businesses' optimism in the third quarter to its highest point since the recession began, according to a survey released Tuesday.

The chief operating officer of Northrim BanCorp (NRIM) in Anchorage, Alaska, has resigned because of health issues.

BankUnited in Miami Lakes, Fla., has joined with a factoring company to provide funding to small businesses.

Government authorities say that 70 million Americans are either underbanked and unbanked. Yet many of these people are well served by the financial system. American Banker staffers discuss whether the issue of the financially underserved is overblown and if so what may be behind the trend.

The former chairman and chief executive of Summit Bank in Burlington, Wash., on Wednesday pleaded guilty to hiding millions of dollars in losses from past-due loans.