Nearly a third of mutual thrifts recently told the American Bankers Association that their regulator lacked a good understanding of their business.

The requirement is a symptom of a larger problem: Inherently local knowledge is needed for most of the regulations tasked to regulators in Washington.

Policymakers came back from the Easter recess loaded for bear, as President Obama released his budget and Senate Democrats dug into the independent foreclosure reviews. Here are the six stories in regulation and reform that you shouldn't have missed last week.

Higher revenues and lower expenses provided a boost to first-quarter results at Webster Financial (WBS) in Waterbury, Conn.

The $1.4 billion-asset unit of First Mariner Bancorp (FMAR) said Monday that the FDIC had terminated an April 2009 cease-and-desist order requiring the bank to comply with fair-lending practices.

Iberiabank in Lafayette, La., will record a $32 million charge for the first quarter because of delays in the repayment of loans it bought from failed banks.

Just as parents use prepaid cards to control their teens' spending, employers are increasingly distributing the reloadable plastic cards to workers to use for paying work expenses.

Cyberattacks against banks show no signs of abating. But services and technologies are out there that can help banks stop the bleeding. First in a series of three analytical features on the cyberattacks against banks.

Chemical Financial (CHFC) in Midland, Mich., reported higher first-quarter profit because of an increase in fee income.

Record mortgage revenue and more lending helped M&T Bank (MTB) raise profits 33% in the first quarter.

Banks competing for new loans can be irrational and "a little scary" in terms of pricing, says Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head at Bank of the West. He spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

BNC Bancorp (BNCN) in High Point, N.C., is remaking its executive staff with a half-dozen new appointments.

FirstMerit (FMER) in Akron, Ohio, said Friday that it has completed its purchase of Citizens Republic Bancorp in Flint, Mich.

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When the University of Michigan's basketball team advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament, Bank of Ann Arbor showed its support with billboards and social-media messages.

Special FDIC protection for losses suffered by failed-bank buyers still exists, but a better real estate market and bidders' increased confidence in their asset management skills are making it rarer.

Shareholders for M&T and Hudson City will meet next week to vote on the banks' merger, though a Fed review of M&T's anti-money-laundering compliance could throw a wrench in the works.

Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) in Little Rock, Ark., reported higher quarterly earnings because of higher mortgage income.

Bank of the West is trying to expand its lending, even to small-business borrowers who are initially turned down for new loans, while managing risk prudently. Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head, discusses the bank's efforts to increase business but control risk. He spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

The GSE believes it can offer community banks another source of revenue by originating and selling agricultural loans.