With a federal court endangering the status of its director and its second in command leaving, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has suddenly been forced to shift from playing offense to defense.

Earnings at United Bankshares rose 5% from a year earlier to $21.2 million. Earnings of 42 cents a share were 1 cent below analysts' average estimate, according to Bloomberg.

New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) in Westbury, N.Y., reported earnings that were short of analysts' expectations because a surge in refinancing cut its net interest margin.

HSBC, the $2.7 trillion-asset company, said Wednesday it has named James Comey, a former U.S. deputy attorney general, to its board and formed a new board committee to oversee compliance with laws that aim to deter money laundering and other crimes.

Many of the nation's largest financial institutions lowered their spending on lobbying the federal government in 2012, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. Although data is only available through Dec. 4, 2012, the reports suggest that year-end spending will be down significantly from 2011. That trend may reflect lower expectations for major legislative changes during a presidential election year.

BOK Financial (BOKF) in Oklahoma City reported higher quarterly earnings because of higher mortgage-banking income.

In announcing plans to buy the $2.8 billion-asset Virginia Commerce, United Bankshares has made a deal that will dramatically increase its market share around the nation's capital.

Future compensation structures should not only reflect the higher costs of servicing troubled loans but also open the business to more nonbank competitors.

Visa Inc.'s board of directors named Robert W. Matschullat as independent, non-executive chairman of the world's largest payments network.

TCF Financial in Wayzata, Minn., posted higher quarterly results after reporting an uptick in lending for equipment purchases.

The Riverhead, N.Y., company is profitable again and playing offense after purging bad loans and raising capital in recent months

The Spokane, Wash., company has agreed to sell three branches to Pacific Financial (PFLC) in Aberdeen, Wash. The branches are in Astoria, Ore., Seaside, Ore., and Aberdeen.

FirstMerit (FMER) of Akron, Ohio, seeks to raise as much as $350 million in connection with its deal for Citizens Republic Bancorp (CRBC).

A legislator in San Francisco is seeking a review of possible losses to the city from banks' alleged manipulation of a benchmark that determines the price at which banks lend to one another.

First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG) in Buffalo, N.Y., has filled its openings for general counsel and human resources manager from within.

Aided by its first whole-bank acquisition in seven years, City Holding Company (CHCO) in Charleston, W.Va., reported a $10.9 million profit in the fourth quarter of 2012, up 13% from the same quarter a year earlier.

Delinquency rates on student loans made in the past two years stand at 15% in the U.S. as recent graduates struggle to find jobs, Fair Isaac said.

Charles R. Crowley and Michael C. Voinovich will open an investment banking office in Cleveland for Boenning & Scattergood.

Grandpoint Capital's plan to acquire its ninth bank in less than three years has been terminated, or possibly just iced for now.

Wells Fargo (WFC) may see an 18 percent drop in mortgage revenue this year as profit from selling loans shrinks, according to Richard Staite, an analyst at Atlantic Equities LLP.