First Niagara (FNFG) Chief Executive John Koelmel, an aggressive bank buyer who described himself in basketball terms as a "shooter," fittingly lost his job on the eve of the March Madness tournament. Here's a look at his trajectory at the bank.

Western Alliance Bancorporation in Phoenix is looking for a new chief operating officer. Kenneth Vecchione will resign on April 5 to become the chief executive at another publicly traded financial services company, Western Alliance said Wednesday.

InvesTex Credit Union has agreed to acquire StarTrust Federal Credit Union, the troubled former Enron credit union, in a combination of Houston institutions.

William Houlihan, a former CFO for Hudson United Bank in Mahwah, N.J., will become the top financial officer at the $3.7 billion-asset Amalgamated, the company said Wednesday.

Capital One, Nationstar and Flagstar Bancorp are among 10 banks and servicers that have been slow to process payouts of insurance claims to homeowners hit by Hurricane Sandy, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo charged.

Fentura Financial (FETM) in Fenton, Mich., has turned a profit thanks to an improvement in its loan portfolio.

Bank of Virginia (BOVA) in Midlothian is committing more than $80 million to two programs involving federally backed debt.

Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., has formed a health care banking group for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, according to a news report.

American Banker has opened the application period for a new program that will identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in the banking industry.

Abolish the public/private hybrid model of Fannie and Freddie, sell or liquidate their businesses, and privatize the mortgage market. This can be done in an orderly way in a few easy steps.

First PacTrust Bancorp (BANC) in Irvine, Calif., is delaying the filing of its annual report after switching auditors and seeing several top executives leave in recent months.

LNB Bancorp in Lorain, Ohio, has retired a large chunk of its bailout money by offering its owners common stock.

Enterprise said Tuesday that its banking subsidiary has reached a deal to buy Gorman & Gorman Home Loans, a division of F&M Bank and Trust in Hannibal, Mo.

The Buffalo, N.Y. company has struggled to gain traction from last year's purchase of more than 100 HSBC branches.

With branches becoming more like expensive billboards, banks are searching for lower-cost ways to maintain visibility in existing markets and raise their profiles in newer ones.

First Niagara (FNFG) in Buffalo, N.Y. is looking for a permanent chief executive following the abrupt departure of John Koelmel.

Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, all but begged lawmakers on Tuesday to begin the process of reforming the nation's housing finance system, saying Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been in conservatorship for far too long.

Instead of its just releasing out-of-court agreements on request, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has devoted an area of its website for posting settlement documents that will be updated regularly.

Eagle Bancorp in Bethesda, Md., said Tuesday that it had opened a branch in Alexandria, Va., marking its sixth branch in the state.

The Federal Reserve Board has taken action against a Midwest banking company.