Coastal Financial and Prime Pacific Financial Services, each based in Snohomish County, Wash., have agreed to merge.

The California company is dealing with a pool of stressed energy loans it inherited from last year's purchase of CapitalSource. The pain shouldn't make the deal less appealing, but it is likely taking up more time than management may have expected.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including thoughts on the sale of GE Capital and how the CFPB's new mortgage disclosure forms will shake up the industry.

Costco Wholesale Corp. has attained a goal that retailers have sought for years: near-zero expenses for credit-card payments.

Comerica reported strong loan growth across many of its business lines in the first quarter, but it's the bank's exposure to the energy sector that continues to draw the most attention from analysts and investors.Energy-Related Exposure Surfaces in Pacwest's Earnings.

Associated Banc-Corp in Green Bay, Wis., reported a 3.4% increase in profits in the first quarter as fee-income and loan growth helped offset lower margins and higher expenses.

American Express' financial performance is already suffering from the pending loss of its Costco card business in U.S., pressuring the company's focus on emerging payments technology to provide a financial lift to calm nervous investors.

Digital innovation has yet to coalesce around any one executive. Chief marketing officers are ideally positioned to fill the void, since they are the natural leaders in understanding the entire customer experience from origination and sales through delivery and measurement.

First Horizon National in Memphis, Tenn., swung to a first-quarter loss after it paid $212.5 million to settle an investigation into its pre-crisis mortgage dealings.

Home Bancshares in Conway, Ark., has bids out to buy three banks that, if successful, would add $2 billion in assets.

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.

People's United Financial in Bridgeport, Conn., reported higher first-quarter profit on higher lending fees and gains on the sale of loans.

American Express Co., this year's worst performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, said first-quarter profit rose 6.5% as expenses declined.

Sandy Spring Bancorp, in Olney, Md., reported an increase in quarterly profit because of an increase in mortgage revenue.

The high-flying sector is primed for a correction, industry leaders said this week. Declining credit standards are one of the top concerns.

Hampton Roads Bankshares in Virginia Beach, Va., plans to merge its banks and change its name to Shore Financial.

Citigroup faced many of the same earnings headwinds as other large banks — lower revenue and lending — but still surprised observers with a strong first quarter Thursday. Its North American consumer business was a big reason why.

Webster Financial in Waterbury, Conn., reported lower first-quarter profit as costs from adding personnel and an acquisition weighed on results.

The automated-teller-machine maker announced new software that it estimates can save up to 40% annually on ATM costs by reducing the agony of updating each box individually. The product targets the many banks that still need to upgrade their ATM fleets to Windows 7.

Low-income borrowers are responsible for much of the recent surge in student loan defaults and delinquencies, according to new research by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.