Buyout heavyweight Accel-KKR just bought a stake in Banker's Toolbox, a software company that helps community banks flag fraud. The PE firm says it was on the hunt for investments in the compliance space given the regulatory climate.

A fifth of the financial institutions that participated in the Small Business Lending Fund have fully left the program and an increasing number of banks are joining them before the dividend rate jumps to 9% next year.

HomeTrust Bancshares in Asheville, N.C., will close six branches in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Business First Bank will use state tax credits to renovate a historic building in downtown Baton Rouge, La., and move its headquarters to the facility.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., ranking member of the House Small Business Committee, introduced a bill Tuesday that would allow the Small Business Administration to provide backing for more loans.

A spike in core deposits increased funding costs and contributed to margin compression at Synovus in the second quarter. But the company could benefit from locking in liquidity now, particularly when interest rates rise.

The new MBS program gives FHLB members direct access to the secondary market.

Porter Bancorp in Louisville, Ky., has agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle a lawsuit alleging mismanagement of a former client's employee stock ownership plan.

They're not ready to go all-in by putting core processing in the cloud, but community banks are experimenting with hybrid and quasi-cloud arrangements that offer low costs and rapid deployment.

CenterState Banks in Davenport, Fla., has a new president and chief executive.

On the five-year anniversary of Dodd-Frank, it's time to increase accountability and transparency at the CFPB. Congress should start by passing a bill that would overhaul the agency's organizational structure from a single-director model to a bipartisan, five-person commission appointed by each incoming president.

Five years after the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law by President Obama, it remains as controversial as when it was enacted. While partisans may debate whether the changes are good or bad, there is no doubt they’ve had a sizable impact. Following are the biggest ways the system has changed.

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., reported higher second-quarter income tied to a lower loan-loss provision.

If Congress fails to act swiftly, most lending supported by the SBA will shut down for much of the next two months. This would undermine recent strength in a vital component of the American economy.

FirstBank Holding in Lakewood, Colo., reported higher profit through the first half of this year, as both loans and deposits grew.

BancorpSouth in Tupelo, Miss., reported higher second-quarter profit, as an increase in loan volume offset lower yields on loans and leases.

American Riviera Bank in Santa Barbara, Calif., has agreed to buy Bank of Santa Barbara.

Wells Financial in Minnesota has completed its purchase of St. James Federal Savings & Loan Association, in a deal closely watched by members of the mutual bank community.

PeoplesSouth Bank in Colquitt, Ga., has agreed to buy Cadence Bancorp's Florida Panhandle branch network.

What asset threshold? Community banks may not be required by law to conduct stress tests, but about one in three have been asked by their examiners to do so, according to a recent survey of banks.