The government has failed to publicly vet its use of auctions to dispose of its remaining Troubled Asset Relief Program holdings. That leaves too many questions unanswered about its exit plans.

John Allison, the former chairman and CEO of BB&T, recently agreed to become the president and CEO of the Cato Institute, a leading libertarian think tank. He joins a growing list of former bank executives who are trying their hand at something totally unrelated to banking.

Small banks beat out their larger counterparts last month with a bigger jump in approvals for loans to small businesses, according to the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index.

Comerica (CMA) in Dallas is the latest bank to announce plans to enter the prepaid card market.

1st Security Bank of Washington, a troubled former credit union known until 2004 as Washington's CU, announced this afternoon it raised $32.4 million with an initial public offering, the latest credit union-convert to go public.

Deposits are worth buying if you get them at a good price and are making loans, says Stephen Gordon, the chairman and CEO of Opus Bank, which agreed this week to buy 10 branches from PacWest for a 2.5% premium.

Businesses continue to deposit fund in banks as safety trumps yield as an investment priority. The move continues to cause bankers headaches as the funds weigh down balance sheet returns.

Amalgamated Bank in New York is continuing its product line expansion with the addition of a home mortgage division.

Taylor Capital Group (TAYC) in Chicago is registering 20.6 million shares of its stock to make it easier for certain shareholders to sell the securities.

HomeTrust Bank in Asheville, N.C., is set to raise up to $211.6 million as it converts to a stock-owned bank from a mutual thrift.

Businesses are expecting to unload even more cash into banks, according to a liquidity survey released Tuesday by the Association of Financial Professionals.

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State regulators this afternoon approved the merger of Massachusetts State Employees CU, a troubled one-time $77 million credit union in Boston, into giant Metro CU in adjacent Chelsea, Mass.

Old National Bancorp (ONB) in Evansville, Ind., has named a former chief justice of the Indiana Supreme Court to its board.

Matthew Wagner, the company's CEO, says a decision to sell 10 branches to Opus Bank will help the usually acquisitive PacWest cut costs.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took two major steps toward reshaping the nation's residential mortgage market Monday, proposing revised mortgage disclosure requirements as well as stricter limits on high-cost loans.

Eagle Bancorp's (EGBN) Ronald D. Paul is adding another job to his list of responsibilities.

Loans made through the Small Business Lending Fund continued their climb in the first quarter, rising by $433 million compared with the fourth quarter of 2011, the Treasury Department said.

First State Bank of St. Charles in Missouri is looking to expand into the Kansas City area with two new offices.

The Treasury Department will auction off its stakes in a dozen more banks as it works to aggressively wind down the Troubled Asset Relief Program.