Unresolved issues surrounding American Airlines' contract with Citibank, which issues its co-branded frequent flier credit card, threaten to derail the bankrupt airline's efforts to reorganize and merge with US Airways, according to court documents Citi filed on May 24.

The $225 million-asset Goldthwaite is buying First National Bancshares in Hico, Texas. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Banks that have been proactive in anticipating the regulatory winds might have little to fear from the rules, but others that have been slow to adapt could be forced to make significant changes that could crimp profits.

Hancock Holding in Gulfport, Miss., will close roughly a fifth of its branches as investors press management to cut costs.

The introduction of a new $100 bill is still five months away, but it's not too soon for banks and ATM manufacturers to begin preparing for its rollout.

Banks have been blaming one another for recklessly chasing business loans. Data on portfolio yields and growth offers perspective on which ones are being the most aggressive.

Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) in Little Rock, Ark., is constructing a regional headquarters in Florida.

American Banker editors discuss the prospects for reducing the roles of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in housing finance and the obstacles a pullback would face.

Talbot Bank in Easton, Md., has signed a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and its state regulator, effective Friday.

Bank of America (BAC) is seeking buyers for about 40 branches in New York and Pennsylvania, four people with knowledge of the matter said.

Sharp bookkeepers could spot a kite in progress, but, more often than not, they were too hurried to give the ledgers a second look.

Bankers Bank Northeast in Glastonbury, Conn., has hired a former Home Loan bank executive to be its next chief.

First Niagara Financial (FNFG) in Buffalo, N.Y., has reportedly reached a severance agreement with John Koelmel, who was ousted as chief executive in March.

Believe GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt when he says banks are unlikely to try to buy his consumer finance unit. Few banks could afford the huge business, and regulators would never allow them to buy it, market watchers say.

Fidelity National Financial dominates mortgage underwriting. Its former LPS unit is the top mortgage servicer. The question is whether two companies that have run out of room to grow separately can prosper together.

Centier Bank in Whiting, Ind., has begun using a card-issuance system from EFT Source, a provider of turnkey card programs.

A new report from the Federal Reserve on debit card swipe fees suggests that the 2011 law that capped fees large banks could charge is not crimping revenues at smaller institutions, echoing earlier findings by the Federal Trade Commission.

Target Corp., Macy's Inc. (M) and other companies sued Visa Inc. (V) and MasterCard Inc. (MA) over credit-card and debit-card fees after retailers objected to a multibillion-dollar settlement of a similar suit.

Visa's hiring of former JPMorgan Chase executive Ryan McInerney comes six months after Visa named an ex-Chase executive as its CEO and three months after the bank and card network revealed plans to team up on a new payments platform.

Online lenders threaten to seize dominant control of the market for small loans to small business.