A spike in stock prices and lingering capital concerns should make bankers wary of buying back shares in the near term.

There were more deals announced in the Midwest than in any other U.S. region last year.

Uwharrie Capital Corp. (UWHR) in Albemarle, N.C., has repaid more than three-fourths of the money it took through the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Mainstream banks have shied away from loans on manufactured homes because of high default rates, but a nonprofit group is asking them to take another look at the niche.

As regulatory scrutiny of third-party vendors is increasing, banks must improve their research and monitoring of the business they outsource.

Midwest BankCentre in Lemay, Mo., has warned its customers of a security breach, possibly involving its third-party vendors.

An honest debate over our "too big to fail" problem and a sound policy response are incompatible with a wait-and-see approach to the laws already on the books.

Charter Financial Corp. in West Point, Ga., has converted to a fully public company.

A provision that would raise capital standards at both small and large banks could potentially hamper the legislative effort to break up the biggest institutions.

The company announced two deals in the first quarter, ending a three-year drought after raising millions to buy banks.

Synovus Financial (SNV) is adding a director while losing two others. The $27 billion-asset company said Monday it has nominated Barry Storey to serve on its board.

Identifying the top female executives whose work is directing the future of payments.

Nearly a quarter of Investors Bancorp's branches will be near the Philadelphia suburbs once it completes its acquisitions of Gateway Community and Roma Financial.

The traditional way of doing business in the branch network may be dead, but bank branches themselves will survive in some form, says Bank of the West’s Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head. Bank of the West has been able to open de novo branches without hiring any additional staff, thanks to advanced technology, to meet customer demand for in-store mortgages, small-business loans and investment advice. Harmening spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

MutualFirst Financial (MFSF) in Muncie, Ind., has reduced its involvement in the Treasury Department's small-business lending fund.

Heritage Financial in Olympia, Wash., plans to merge its two banks.

First Niagara Financial Group in Buffalo, N.Y., has hired a JPMorgan Chase executive to lead its new business unit for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Executives at these banks will be braced for interrogation by investors, analysts and community activists this spring, when the seasons for annual meetings and conference calls on first-quarter results collide.

WASHINGTON — State regulators in Arizona closed the $45 million-asset Gold Canyon Bank late Friday, the fifth bank failure this year.

The deal is Investors' fourth since late 2011 and would bolster a growing presence in southern New Jersey.