A recent credit union conference in Chicago featured a presentation of what a futuristic branch could look like.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. As excerpted from the Comments sections of AmericanBanker.com articles.

Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) in Little Rock said its first-quarter earnings increased 23% from the same period in 2011, to $18 million, on the strength of improved efficiency, solid growth in fee income and a continued decline in problem assets.

The FDIC is auctioning a collection of jewelry it inherited from the failed Tennessee Commerce Bank, marking the latest in a history of odd assets the agency has inherited through receivership. Ranging from sports franchises and film rights to casinos and taxis, the FDIC has unloaded scores of strange items over the years.

In a letter to Senate leaders, the head of a Glendale, Calif., credit union broke with the rest of the industry on legislation that would allow credit unions to make more commercial loans.

The board of directors at VIST Financial (VIST) in Wyomissing, Pa., has formed a special litigation committee to investigate shareholder claims that the board breached its fiduciary duty when it agreed to sell VIST to an upstate New York company for $86 million.

Independent Bank Corp. (INDB) of Rockland, Mass., reported that its first-quarter income rose 9% from a year earlier, to $12.2 million, as customer growth led to increased loans and fee income.

The large municipalities can leverage their primary banking relationships to help their communities — as opposed to seeing all of the benefits accruing to the too-big-to-fail financial conglomerates.

The Treasury Department's recent auction of preferred shares in six banks may signal that the agency has finally found a path to end its bank investments under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Shares of Southcoast Financial (SOCB) surged more than 50% Thursday after the Mt. Pleasant, S.C., banking company reported its first quarterly profit in nearly two years.

Consumers are stashing more money than ever into bank accounts but the surge of deposits is not translating into more fees for banks.

Jeff Gerhart, who took over as chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America last month, also chairs a small bank in Nebraska. In a wide-ranging interview, the fourth-generation banker discusses competing against bigger banks and collaboration with the American Bankers Association.

NCAL Bancorp in Los Angeles and Raton Capital in New Mexico have been hit with enforcement orders from the Federal Reserve Board that require them to stabilize their ailing bank subsidiaries.

Pacific Capital's calculus was simple: Texas financier Gerald Ford, majority owner of the California bank, decided its shares would never trade as high as the price UnionBanCal was willing to pay.

C&F Financial (CFFI) in West Point, Va., has repurchased all the shares it issued to the Treasury Department in 2009 and now just needs to buy back its warrant to exit the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Commerce Bancshares posted record earnings in the first quarter as improved credit quality and strong revenue growth in its fee-based businesses more than offset flat loan growth.

Improved asset quality and declining expenses powered Washington Federal in Seattle to a $34 million profit in the quarter that ended March 31, a 32% increase from the same period in 2011.

Hugh C. Lane Jr. has stepped down as president and chief executive at the Bank of South Carolina (BKSC) and has been replaced by his longtime associate, Fleetwood S. Hassell.

Women and minorities own nearly 30% of all the businesses in California but many can't get the bank loans they need to grow their firms. California Bank & Trust in San Diego is aiming to change that — and bolster its own loan portfolio — with a new multi-pronged lending initiative targeting female and minority entrepreneurs.

First Mariner and Beneficial Mutual are among the banks that have gained large stakes in competitors after borrowers defaulted on loans where stock was pledged as collateral.