New data released Tuesday showed more signs of improvement in the nation's housing market, as home prices rose and mortgage rates remained low.

Banking powers, specifically the power to accept demand deposits, should be limited by Congress to institutions qualifying for federal deposit insurance. Otherwise we face uncontrolled systemic risk from inconsistently regulated entities.

ECB Bancorp (ECBE) in Engelhard, N.C., became a more-attractive seller after posting higher quarterly earnings.

PremierWest had to sell because it could not raise the "sizable" amount of capital it needed to go on, its CEO says.

Heartland Financial (HTLF) in Dubuque, Iowa, reported that third-quarter earnings more than tripled from a year earlier.

The Center for Responsible Lending said the companies settle only a fraction of the debts they set out to settle.

As Hurricane Sandy makes its way inland, bankers from Virginia to Maine are now focusing on post-storm crisis management. Payrolls for late October are a key concern.

Crescent Financial Bancshares in Raleigh, N.C., continued to narrow its losses during the third quarter.

After absorbing the OTS, the OCC abandoned a comprehensive and sophisticated approach to monitoring interest rate risk.

State Bank Financial in Atlanta has named one of its founding shareholders and current board member as its vice chairman and president.

An increase in commercial lending boosted quarterly earnings at Provident New York Bancorp in Montebello, N.Y.

Flat lending and weaker margins hurt Pinnacle Bankshares in Altavista, Va., in the third quarter. Earnings fell 34%, to $399 million, from a year earlier.

Lender Processing Services said Monday it will pay $1.8 million to settle claims by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers that it allowed unauthorized signatures and improper notarizations of mortgage documents.

A tax expense dragged down Orrstown Financial Services (ORRF) in Shippensburg, Pa., in the third quarter.

The Treasury Department has appointed C. Wayne Crowell to the board of Intervest Bancshares (IBCA) in New York.

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Pen Air FCU opened a new branch in nearby Foley, Ala., last week, its third Alabama branch.

With the failed-bank market drying up, Midwestern consolidator Talmer enters a stalking-horse bid for a small Ohio bank burdened by debts to the U.S. government and trust-preferred holders.

Old Line Bancshares (OLBK) in Bowie, Md., reported higher third-quarter earnings as loan growth and reduced expenses fueled revenue.

First Banks, a $6.5 billion-asset company, posted third-quarter earnings of $8.5 million, compared with a net loss of $2.1 million a year earlier.