Republic Bancorp (RBCAA) of Louisville, Ky., and FedFirst Financial Corp. (FFCO) of Monessen, Pa., are planning to return more of their capital to shareholders as the fiscal cliff looms.

The Senate late Thursday confirmed the top two senior officials to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. following months of uncertainty.

First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG) is expanding its mortgage operations. The Buffalo, N.Y., company is scheduled to open a processing center next month in Syracuse and hire more than two dozen employees to staff it.

First Mariner Bancorp said it had called off plans to sell a minority stake in itself to Priam Capital Fund I after determining that it could improve its capital levels with retained earnings.

Crescent Financial's updated SEC filing removes previous discussion about how banking regulators "encouraged" its deal with VantageSouth.

The move should improve liquidity for the $1.3 billion-asset Chemung's shares, Ronald M. Bentley, Chemung's president and chief executive, said in a news release Wednesday.

Capitol Bancorp (CBCRQ) has been fighting for survival for a few years now, but the next month might prove to be its toughest battle.

Former Amcore president Donald Wilson will become the chairman of Community Financial in Illinois as part of a recapitalization plan.

Al Landon, a former CEO of Bank of Hawaii, now spends a lot of his time advising institutions that neither make loans, nor seek to make a profit-the Smithsonian Institution and PBS. Teaching, running marathons and investing are also on his agenda.

Sheila Bair may advocate a lifelong commitment for examiners, but given existing rules, the fears of potential conflicts of interest should be more hypothetical than real.

Naugatuck Valley Financial (NVSL) in Connecticut has named a longtime financial manager to become its interim chief financial officer.

WASHINGTON — Bank and credit union regulatory agencies issued additional guidance late Wednesday endorsing "prudent efforts" by financial institutions to aid customers affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Regulators pledged Wednesday to heed concerns of community banks and ensure that a final rule implementing Basel III capital and liquidity requirements does not harm smaller institutions.

Cathleen Nash lays out Citizens Republic's reasons for selling itself to FirstMerit, and says she expects many more banks to face the same tough choice.

With financial institutions worried the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will hinder business innovation, the agency on Wednesday argued that one of its mandates is the exact opposite.

Fraudsters are increasingly preying on the default servicing end of the mortgage lifecycle, where traditional detection methods have not been deployed. Fortunately, there are new ways to spot red flags.

Republic Bancorp (RBCAA) of Louisville, Ky., and FedFirst Financial Corp. (FFCO) of Monessen, Pa., are planning to return more of their capital to shareholders as the fiscal cliff looms.

Taylor Capital Group is the third Chicago-area bank to announce a capital raise to fuel growth in the past two weeks.

Community bankers are fighting a battle along two fronts: working to get the Transaction Account Guarantee program extended, and looking for new sources of liquidity in case the program ends.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Wednesday announced an April 2014 closing date for its Jacksonville, Fla., office established during the financial crisis to handle elevated failures.