More community banks are establishing credit card loyalty programs in their quest for revenue growth. The programs can work provided they are easy to understand, pay a lot of cash and tie rewards points to local services.

Regulators sought to reassure bankers about new mortgage rules at a conference in North Carolina this week, but remarks from all sides about pitfalls and policy mistakes fed the tension.

Investors should brace for third-quarter earnings shock as banks' loan growth stalls and mortgage-banking revenue dries up even faster than predicted, according to an analyst report from BMO Capital Markets.

BankUnited (BKU) in Miami Lakes, Fla., is ready for some football. The $13 billion-asset company announced Thursday that it has become an "official partner" of the New York Jets.

Marlin Business Services (MRLN) in Mount Laurel, N.J., has hired a chief lending officer for its bank.

Umpqua Holdings (UMPQ) in Portland, Ore., has agreed to buy Sterling Financial (STSA) in Spokane, Wash.

Foreclosure filings fell 34 percent in the U.S. last month as first-time defaults dropped to the lowest level in almost eight years and rising home prices made it easier for distressed owners to sell, RealtyTrac said.

If you stop by bar Room77 in Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood for a beer, you can leave the euros in your wallet and instead pay with the digital currency Bitcoin—a growing phenomenon in Germany and other countries that are changing their views on the currency.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. may settle regulators' probes into the bank's credit-card debt collection practices and sales of identity-theft products as early as next week.

The agreement's architects contend that the pact could bring as much as $291 million to affected homeowners, but detractors say that the final tally is likely to be far lower.

BB&T (BBT) in Winston-Salem, N.C., has been closing branches across its network, but is planning to expand its presence in Texas by nearly 50%.

The $5.8 billion-asset Chemical has begun a public offering of its common stock that seeks to raise $50 million, it announced Wednesday after the market closed. All of the shares are being offered by the company.

Financial institutions are required to thoroughly "know" their customers and vet transactions for potential criminal connections in a way that other critical service industries are not. (Imagine an electric company quizzing its customers about what appliances they plug into the wall.) Ellen Zimiles, a former assistant U.S. attorney who now heads the global investigations and compliance practice at Navigant Consulting, explains why banks have been given special responsibilities.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is urging banks to strengthen their oversight of the home appraisal process and warning them to keep an eye out for a sudden spike in delinquencies on home-equity loans.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray sought to allay lender fears Wednesday about the agency's new mortgage rules, pledging to be flexible with companies struggling to comply by the January deadline.

Banks need to revamp customer service operations so unhappy consumers complain to them rather than to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where a complaint could spark added regulatory scrutiny.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is selling the last of the Citigroup (NYSE:C) stake that the U.S. government acquired during the financial crisis.

UMB Financial (UMBF) seeks to raise up to $242.2 million next week from a common stock offering that priced Tuesday.

The city of Richmond, Calif., is pushing forward with its plan to rescue underwater homeowners by buying their mortgages, and is leaving open the possibility of using eminent-domain to acquire loans that banks will not sell.

A federal court judge in Florida has banned the defendants behind an alleged credit card interest rate reduction scam from selling debt-relief service and telemarketing any services.