AmericanWest is buying Bank of Sacramento for $60 million in cash. Although the deal was being negotiated well before the recent market sell-off, it serves as a good example of the comfort of a fixed cash price.

Although Congress may soon tackle whether to raise the $50 billion "systemic" threshold for banks, First Republic CEO James Herbert says the bank must still invest heavily in hiring the necessary staff to help it deal with the additional regulation from such a designation.

The lackluster earnings season for regional banks continued. Executives at Fifth Third and BB&T shared concerns about margin shrinkage and other forces beyond their control, and they provided contrasts in expense control and management of interest rate uncertainty.

Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser says his department is working with the federal banking agencies to ease banks' fears about serving foreign remittance providers.

Rodney Martin Jr., Voya Financial's chairman and CEO, said he has decided to oversee the Retirement Solutions division himself. As a result, Maliz Beams, the CEO of that division, has left the company.

Raj Vig, president of business development company TCP Capital, discusses the crowded landscape in middle-market lending, regulators' concerns and how nonbanks and banks can sometimes work together.

Acquisitions buoyed third-quarter earnings at Home BancShares in Conway, Ark. The $7.2 billion-asset company reported Thursday that it earned $27.4 million, up roughly 49% from a year earlier.

Capital Bank Financial Corp. in Coral Gables, Fla., reported higher third quarter earnings driven by lower expenses and asset quality improvements.

A regulatory report released this summer helped fuel hopes that banks were finally beginning to loosen up on making mortgage loans. But since then strategists say there is no evidence that an easing of credit standards is taking place.

DocMagic has acquired eSignSystems, the electronic signature and e-vault division of Wave Systems Corp., for $1.2 million, the companies announced Thursday.

Foreclosure filings increased in the third quarter but were down on a monthly basis, according to RealtyTrac’s latest Foreclosure Market Report.

Sandy Spring Bancorp in Olney, Md., posted lower third-quarter earnings as expenses rose and net interest income declined.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson's office on Wednesday sued Texas-based Apex Merchant Group LLC for using "bait and switch" tactics against small businesses.

Webster Financial in Waterbury, Conn., reported an increase in quarterly profit on the strength of its loan growth.

PrivateBancorp in Chicago reported higher earnings in the third quarter primarily thanks to loan growth.

Buoyed by interest income growth and large gains on the sales of loans and securities, First Republic Bank in San Francisco reported a 20% increase in profits in the third quarter when compared to the same period last year.

American Express Co. is pulling new levers to build its business with small merchants and drive mobile wallet adoption, emphasizing its work with Apple Pay.

BB&T in Winston-Salem, N.C., reported higher quarterly earnings despite flat revenue.

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati reported lower earnings because of a decline in mortgage revenue and a negative valuation adjustment on a payments subsidiary.

Profits at Umpqua Holdings in Portland, Ore., rose in the third quarter, on gains from its recent acquisition of Sterling Financial.