As part of a regular update of its finances, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said it will return amounts from the 2009 prepayment that were unnecessary.

Community banks have upped their lending to first-time home buyers and more and more are making mortgage loans on their own without the help of wholesalers, according to the American Bankers Association.

The Bellevue, Wash., bank has done fine on its own, but decided to buy a smaller version of itself in hopes of boosting market value. And its CEO says he's not done dealing.

A fight over board seats at South Street Financial pits the company's management against the president and CEO of a bank in Pennsylvania.

In an eventful earnings announcement, the company also reported a big jump in profits and disclosed more details about a fraud scheme perpetrated by a warehouse-lending partner.

Commerce Bancshares in Kansas City, Mo., reported lower quarter earnings because of lower interest rates.

Investors pay attention to banks' dealing with relatives of executives and directors. Many of those details are highlighted in annual proxy statements. Here are some high-profile examples.

AmericanWest Bank in Spokane, Wash., has promoted an insider to oversee its expansion into Oregon and northern California.

CrossFirst Holdings in Leawood, Kan., has wrapped up a $22 million private placement.

Stieven, who has followed banks 30 years, managed a portfolio teeming with bank buyers. Still, he cautions against deals that only build scale.

The designer, reality television star and daughter of Donald Trump will not seek re-election to Signature's board, due to her "highly demanding schedule."

Big banks and their CEOs are facing lots of questions at their upcoming shareholder meetings, but the stakes might be higher for community and regional banks.

Bank of the West is putting a big focus on small-business lending while waiting for the sluggish loan growth environment to improve, says Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head. Harmening spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

Equipment financing, once viewed as cost-prohibitive for smaller banks due to the financial commitment required to build in-house teams, has become more attractive due to opportunities to work with outside firms.

First BanCorp (FBP) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has scrapped a plan to swap common stock for a certain type of preferred stock.

Astoria Financial (AF) in Lake Success, N.Y., is planning to redeem $125 million in debt.

Century Bancorp (CNBKA) in Medford, Mass., reported higher first-quarter results from lower credit costs and securities gains.

WICHITA, Kan. — A federal judge here yesterday dismissed the majority of $590 million of securities claims brought by NCUA against Credit Suisse Securities in the 2009 collapses of U.S. Central FCU and WesCorp, dealing the credit union regulator another defeat in its efforts to recoup losses for the biggest credit union failures ever.

First Farmers Financial in Converse, Ind., has agreed to buy most of Bank of Indiana.

A securities law firm has filed a class-action suit to halt Renasant's acquisition of First M&F Corp.