The founder and former chief executive of Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust in Coral Gables, Fla., has sued the bank for fraud and breach of contract after it fired him in 2012.

NASB Financial in Grandview, Mo., has agreed to buy Lexington B&L Financial in Lexington, Mo.

First Busey in Champaign, Ill., has abruptly changed the responsibilities of several executives.

Bank earnings rose nearly 12% to $40.8 billion in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, boosted by lower litigation expenses at a few large institutions, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday.

To brace for stress in the energy sector, Cullen/Frost Bankers in San Antonio, Texas, recently boosted its reserves on oil-related loans to 3% — while competitors like Hancock Holding and Wells Fargo have set even higher reserve levels. "The mix of loans is very different," says Dick Evans, chairman and CEO of the Texas bank.

It is time for institutions to act independently of the Federal Reserve and raise their loan interest rates to improve returns.

JPMorgan Chase said it would need to boost reserves for impaired energy loans by $1.5 billion if oil prices hold at about $25 a barrel over 18 months.

Bank Mutual in Milwaukee has agreed to support an activist investor's nominee to its board.

Patricia Watson joined the board of the $19 billion-asset Texas Capital on Friday. Watson has been chief information officer at TSYS, a payments processor based in Columbus, Ga., since September.

There's nothing like the threat of a corporate relocation to prod government economic development officials into action.

When Andrew Samuel joined Sunshine Bancorp in 2014, it had a casual culture where growth wasn't a big focus. Less than two years later, he has turned the company into a commercial bank with growth — and acquisitions — firmly in its future.

For all the technology banks have to help them deliver personalized service, the overall customer experience remains a challenge.

South Dakota Bancshares in Pierre, S.D., has agreed to buy First State Bank in Pierre.

With the stakes so high for compliance officers, their rights and responsibilities should be clearly defined, including a safe harbor for those who play by the rules.

Industry pundits have been predicting the demise of the branch since the dawn of online account access 20 years ago, but digital services haven't replaced branches. They have just increased the contact banks have with their customers. That's won't change anytime soon.

CCB Bankshares in South Hill, Va., has raised $3.5 million in a private placement of debt and will use some of the money to exit the Small Business Lending Fund.

Bridgewater Savings Bank in Raynham, Mass., said that its chief executive, James Lively, will retire on Dec. 5 and that Peter Dello Russo, its president and chief operating officer, will succeed him.

The NCUA's decision to expand member business lending has sparked a renewed effort by banks to press lawmakers to eliminate credit unions' tax-exempt status. The NCUA's board meeting also ended with awkward acrimony between two of its own members.