Hencorp Becstone Capital in Miami has agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle allegations that it provided inaccurate statements and claims to the Export-Import Bank.

The Justice Department handed down its third bank settlement under Operation Choke Point Thursday, bringing a civil complaint against Plaza Bank of Irvine, Calif., for failing to report a payment processor's relationship with fraudulent merchants.

Charles "Stormy" Greef, a partner with Hunton & Williams' financial institutions team, died March 10. He was 66.

Smaller banks need to develop detailed marketing plans to reach out to cardholders, while also working with their processors to prepare for the transition to EMV cards.

FirstBank Holding Company is appealing to young, outdoorsy and wired customers with soft marketing, including a smartphone-guided treasure hunt for free snowboards and skis at a Colorado resort.

A recovering economy has all but stopped talk about loan growth. Instead, bankers are now getting grilled about deposit gathering, dealmaking and, in some instances, how they are dealing with slumping energy prices.

Community banking groups have recently struck referral deals with marketplace lenders that could add revenue in the short run, but they might be giving away potentially valuable data and customers in the process.

Foresight Financial Group in Rockford, Ill., has agreed to buy State Bank of Herscher in Herscher, Ill.

HomeBancorp in Tampa, Fla., has raised $16.5 million in capital.

Small-business lending will be crucial to the future of the American economy. But community banks' ability to make loans to friends and neighbors they know depends in part on a supportive regulatory environment.

McKenzie Banking in McKenzie, Tenn., has agreed to buy Farmers Bank in Woodland Mills, Tenn.

The Department of Justice announced a $4.9 million settlement Tuesday with CommerceWest Bank of Irvine, Calif., over charges that the bank knowingly worked with a third-party processor making illegal withdrawals from consumer bank accounts.

Telecommuting isn't new for front-office loan officers, but in an increasingly competitive hiring environment, some mortgage lenders now let their underwriters work from home, too.

Thomas Depping would have been content to keep making small-business loans through his Houston-area bank, but regulatory pressure led him to give up his charter and form a nonbank lender with the same business model.

Few would dispute that the U.S. ought to move to a faster payment system. But the hurdles to modernizing the infrastructure are daunting, said participants in a panel at this week's Retail Banking 2015 conference.

Tiered regulation could bring about a number of useful changes for regional banks, including a more customized approach to determining capital adequacy and simplified resolution planning requirements.

Great Western Bancorp in Sioux Falls, S.D., plans to record a spike in credit costs during the first quarter as it deals with issues tied to certain commercial loans.

Western Alliance Bancorp. in Phoenix has agreed to buy Bridge Capital Holdings in San Jose, Calif.