Last month's unrest in Baltimore once again cast the spotlight on the negative cycle of crime, violence and poverty that plays out in many American cities and counties. So why aren't banks directing more of their investment dollars into the neighborhoods that need it the most? And can Community Reinvestment Act reform help push them in that direction?

An obscure provision in the regulatory relief bill championed by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., is giving mutual holding companies hope that a threat to their business model will be eliminated.

Stonegate Bank in Pompano Beach, Fla., has confirmed that it will provide a bank account to the Cuban government.

Proposed new rules from the CFPB could wind up forcing banks out of the small-dollar lending business, leaving cash-strapped consumers with fewer borrowing options.

Some potential corporate customers of the nation's largest banks have recently received surprising responses to their loan applications: come back to us later when you've cleaned up your act.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and from our social media platforms.

First United in Oakland, Md., will exit the Troubled Asset Relief Program after winning an auction to repurchase a warrant from the U.S. Treasury Department.

Westbound Bank in Katy, Texas, has promoted Troy England, chief lending officer, to president.

Last year the mail carrier's office of inspector general suggested a potential expansion into small-dollar lending, but the ambitions laid forth in a new report have been scaled back considerably.

Orchard Platform in New York has added two nonbank lenders to its marketplace lending service that matches institutional investors with loan originators.

Atlantic Coast Financial in Jacksonville, Fla., has named Tracy Keegan its full-time chief financial officer.

Several Puerto Rican banks are dealing with a sour participation to a major utility on the island. The creditor — like the Puerto Rican government — is barred from filing for bankruptcy, complicating matters for its lenders.

Federal courts in New York and Georgia halted three debt collection operations that allegedly violated federal law by tricking and threatening consumers via emails, text messages and phone calls.

A payment processor and telemarketer Hal E. Smith must pay more than $1.7 million to settle charges of running a deceptive robocall credit card scheme.

The number of branches at credit unions and banks has been surging for decades and presents some challenging problems for financial institutions as they face an ever-increasingly competitive landscape in the future.

The government agency that proposed a controversial expansion by the U.S. Postal Service into financial services now acknowledges that its big ideas would probably require the passage of new legislation.

Harvard Illinois Bancorp, which has struggled with persistent activist pressure and exposure to a fraud scheme, is preparing to wind down its operations.

Several big banks have hired environmental professionals from far outside the world of banking to make sure banks' clients aren't doing things to threaten water quality, public health or worker safety. The executives' job is to protect their banks' credit books — and reputations.

New York Community Bancorp Inc. Chief Executive Officer Joseph Ficalora didn't have to pay taxes on $2.84 million in restricted stock he collected last year. His company picked up the tab.