The nonexistence of "too big to fail" is swell news. Now taxpayers can stop worrying about future bailouts, the Federal Reserve can ease monetary policy and the Justice Department can prosecute the banks purportedly "too big to jail."

Commercial and multifamily mortgage debt rose by 0.9% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, to $21.8 billion, marking the highest year-over-year improvement since the second quarter of 2008, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Monday.

In the past, it was tough for customers to change banks. So, we could charge them—and treat them—pretty much as we pleased. Technology renders switching banks easier and cheaper—making banking more competitive, less profitable.

Community bankers should be more concerned about interest rate risk, mortgage rules and examiner's questions about strategic direction than anything the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau might do, regulators say.

Hanmi Financial Corp's talks with rivals about a possible sale have stalled because of disagreements over price and management, said people with knowledge of the matter.

Signature Bank in New York has hired eight bankers from Citigroup to run two private client banking teams.

Bank of the West in San Francisco is making a middle-market commercial lending push.

Even if regulators restrict banks' ability to charge overdraft fees, those consumers who value banks that cover their overdrafts will find a way to reward institutions providing the best service.

State regulators in Georgia Friday closed the $259 million-asset Frontier Bank in LaGrange, the fourth institution to fail this year.

Christine Rush announced plans to retire as the $855 million-asset company's CFO on May 10, Old Line disclosed in a Friday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bankers are bracing for the start of more severe anti-money laundering exams as regulators rework their standards and prepare to issue another round of guidance tackling the issue.

Firms have continued to plow money into bank deposits, but high liquidity ratios appear to be more a continuation of trends in place since the 1980s than a reaction to the financial crisis.

Costly due diligence and the heavy demands of institutional investors still make it difficult for aspiring acquirers to pull the trigger on bank M&A.

First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Bucks County still likes mortgage lending but has turned to sophisticated hedging to manage risk, incoming CEO Jeane Coyle says.

Provident Bank announced Thursday that it had hired John Lynch, a senior financial consultant who will focus on clients in the lower Hudson Valley.

William Loving believes that the banking industry will shrink at a much slower rate than what many predict.

Pacific Mercantile in Costa Mesa, Calif., reported a fourth-quarter loss as expenses rose and a tax benefit dwindled.

The Treasury Department plans to auction its holdings in seven banks, including Flagstar Bancorp (FBC), as it continues to unwind the Troubled Asset Relief Program holdings.

Bank of Farmington in Illinois is launching an investment-services division. The new unit, Bank of Farmington Investment Services, will be headed by financial advisor Chad Mayall.

BankUnited in Miami Lakes, Fla., has priced a planned secondary offering by its biggest investors.