Foreign banks looking to buy a U.S. institution long faced tough scrutiny from the Federal Reserve, and the financial crisis has only made the process harder.

The Small Business Investment Company program may be less famous among banks than some of the SBA's other programs, but it enjoyed a record in fiscal 2015 that wrapped up this week. Stories like that of Opus Bank in California shed light on why.

Banks worldwide are in danger of losing significant profits in several lending areas to nonbank alternative lenders, according to a McKinsey study.

John Neal will retire later this year as president of Union Bank & Trust in Richmond, Va. Neal, 66, will step down on Dec. 31 after 24 years at the $7.5 billion-asset bank.

Emclaire Financial in Emlenton, Pa., has exited the Small Business Lending Fund.

One woman on the all-male management board is not too much to ask, especially if it can take two years (or 20?) to get there, Deutsche Bank decides; Goldman, Morgan Stanley and Citi try mending their leaky pipeline, with some success (but sadly, 100 more years of this is what we're looking at, ladies); also get updates on Mary Jo White, Sallie Krawcheck and WomenCorporateDirectors.

The First Bancshares in Hattiesburg, Miss., has named the president of the University of Southern Mississippi to its board.

Outdated and inefficient processes come at the cost of face time with customers and weigh banks down with unnecessary expenses. Here are some of the most common problems faced by the industry and ideas about how to fix them.

Town and Country Financial in Springfield, Ill., has agreed to buy the parent of Premier Bank of Jacksonville in Illinois.

Community West Bancshares in Goleta, Calif., has received regulatory approval to exit the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

First Data, the payments processor taken private by KKR & Co. eight years ago, is seeking to raise as much as $3.2 billion in what’s poised to be the biggest U.S. initial public offering this year.

Ameris Bancorp in Moultrie, Ga., has agreed to buy Jacksonville Bancorp in Florida.

Pacific Premier Bancorp in Irvine, Calif., has agreed to buy Security California Bancorp in Riverside, Calif.

Wells Fargo, the world’s largest bank by market value, agreed to buy the bulk of a railcar- and locomotive-leasing unit from General Electric as the industrial giant retreats from financial services.

Park Sterling in Charlotte, N.C., has agreed to buy First Capital Bancorp in Glen Allen, Va.

Independence Bancshares in Greenville, S.C., has dismissed Gordon Baird as chief executive and suspended its development of a real-time payments technology.

Community banks merit more regulatory relief, particularly those that hold mortgage originations. That was a key message from James Bullard, St. Louis Fed president, during a community banking conference in St. Louis hosted by the Federal Reserve Board and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

Bankers need to show they are in control of relationships with outside vendors, must be ready to respond to M&A-related protests and should be as concerned about economic growth as interest rates, according to the St. Louis Fed's supervisory chief.

Huntington Bancshares in Columbus, Ohio, will add $45 million to its litigation reserve in the third quarter after a judge ordered it to repay $71.8 million to the victims of a fraud scheme.

Allowing branch employees to become personally involved in marketing and merchandising tends to make them more engaged as salespeople.