Missouri may soon have the toughest penalty yet for identity thieves - life imprisonment for the most serious offenses.

Like most states, Illinois bars the door to commercial banks headquartered elsewhere unless they buy an existing Illinois charter.

Vermont lawmakers are considering a bill that would put state-chartered credit unions on an equal footing with their federal counterparts - letting them make business loans and expand their fields of membership.

The bruising fight over New Haven Savings Bank's conversion to stock ownership continues to reverberate in Connecticut.

The days appear to be numbered for more than 2,000 payday-lending outlets in Georgia.

Washington state legislators are clearing the way for a bill that would permit owners of automated teller machines to override current Visa International rules by surcharging cardholders of foreign banks.

Wisconsin banks with out-of-state investment subsidiaries could face bigger tax bills in the coming months if state auditors determine that the units were created chiefly to avoid taxes.

Spooked by reports of independent ATM operators stealing users' identities, lawmakers in California are planning to introduce legislation in January that would require owners of nonbank automated teller machines to get licenses from state banking regulators.

Michigan is the latest state to pass legislation giving credit unions more power to expand - and the state's bankers, surprisingly, say they can live with it.

Less than six weeks before a statewide referendum, the industry in Alabama remains divided over a plan that could increase bank taxes by millions of dollars.

LAS VEGAS - Banks and thrifts operating in Nevada will pay an additional $17 million in taxes next fiscal year as part of an $836 million tax hike signed into law this week by Gov. Kenny Guinn.

A new Colorado law meant to safeguard school districts' funds could inadvertently deprive the state's community banks of tens of millions of dollars in deposits.

A Massachusetts bill meant to discourage mutual thrifts in from converting to stock ownership could have the opposite effect, according to bankers and trade groups.

State-chartered banks in Illinois could stage "mass conversions" to federal charters if the governor's plan to raise examination fees is signed into law, according to trade group officials.

Consumer bankers in Texas are hoping the state's Democratic lawmakers end their much-publicized walkout soon.

A recent change in Tennessee law that reduces the waiting period for start-up banks to sell themselves could open up acquisition opportunities for out-of-state banks looking to bulk up in the Memphis and Nashville markets.

Indiana lawmakers have ap-proved a bill that would ban the use of banks' names in marketing materials without the banks' permission, and Wisconsin bankers are pushing for similar legislation there.