While the banking industry was recovering from a global financial crisis and reacting to the prospects of new regulations, smart entrepreneurs were finding new and better solutions to people's problems.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce closed the $50.2 million-asset 1st Regents Bank in Andover on Friday.

James Montgomery, a longtime bank executive who spent his life building financial institutions, has passed away. The 78-year-old passed away on Dec. 13 in Rancho Mirage, Calif., after suffering from health problems in recent years.

Plaintiffs' attorneys behind a group of wildly successful overdraft class action cases have been feuding over how to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars. The judge overseeing the litigation has called a timeout.

The CFPB issued rules Friday that ban compensation to mortgage originators based on loan terms, such as higher interest rates or a high-cost loan. The rule is meant to prevent lenders from steering borrowers into riskier loans for a higher payouts.

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The $3 billion-asset StellarOne of Charlottesville, Va., said Friday that it will buy a branch from the $508 million-asset Village Bank and Trust (VBFC) in Midlothian, Va.

A proposed startup bank would court the Amish, a community with "spectacular" credit ratings and proven business acumen. The founders may have to make some special dispensations, though.

FNB United (FNBN) in Asheboro, N.C., has created a commercial real estate group at one of its banks.

Capital One's fourth-quarter results and 2013 profit guidance disappointed investors, sowing doubts about the earnings power of its acquisitions of ING Direct and HSBC's U.S. credit card portfolio.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will require mortgage lenders to release free copies of home appraisals to borrowers as part of several appraisal rules released this week.

U.S. Century Bank in Doral, Fla., sold about $120 million of loans in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated a written agreement with Blue Valley Ban Corp. in Overland Park, Kan.

Royal Business Bank is relying more on making deals, particularly for banks that focus on Chinese-American communities, as competition intensifies.

The $1.4 billion-asset company said Friday that it has reactivated its buyback program, while increasing the number of shares eligible for repurchase to 5% of outstanding common stock.

WSFS Financial (WSFS) in Wilmington, Del., warned that its fourth-quarter results will include a nearly $4 million hit from paying off Federal Home Loan Bank advances.

Analysts have been concerned about the bank's inability to rein in personnel expenses despite a large cost-cutting initiative.

First Financial Bancorp (FFBC) in Cincinnati gave investors a sneak peek at its fourth-quarter results while announcing a key management shift.

M&F Bancorp (MFBP) in Durham, N.C., said in a regulatory filing Thursday that it hired Randall Hall as its chief financial officer. He succeeded Lyn Hittle, who will retire in March.

Bank of Kentucky Financial (BKYF) in Crestview Hills reported higher earnings as credit issues subsided.