Warren Buffett's $5 billion public vote of confidence in Bank of America, happily for him, does not require actual confidence.

Twenty years ago I engineered the sale of Security Pacific Bank, at the time the nation's fifth largest bank, to Bank of America. On August 12, 1991, the day the deal was announced BofA's stock closed at $10.00. Today it closed at $7.65 a decline of 23% over the past two decades.

Lydian Private Bank's failure proved to skeptics that the private banking model is a toxic mix for banks.

ACI Worldwide is increasing the cash portion of its unsolicited offer to buy S1 in light of recent stock market volatility, and as the two companies continue to squabble over competing acquisition proposals.

Can they survive? Panelists at a recent American Banker roundtable debate the long-term prospects for community banks.

"The predatory nature of American finance" makes future meltdowns all but inevitable, argues historian Charles Geisst.

If Meredith Whitney is right, now’s a good time to start an agricultural bank.

Ag banks and superregionals will be on the rise, many community banks and branches will have disappeared, and three mini-financial crises will have occurred, a roundtable of experts said when asked to predict banking in 2036.

The industry's criticism of the agency does not apply when it comes to nonbank supervision.

Analysts Richard Bove and Meredith Whitney said B of A is not in a capital crisis. Meanwhile, the company is fighting back against critics and calling merger specualtion "baseless."

First BanCorp's bid to raise more than $560 million of fresh capital hit a snag this week after the San Juan, P.R., company failed to obtain enough shareholder votes to proceed with its plan to issue 150 million of new shares.

TD Bank has hired 15 new employees at its Lexington, S,C., operations center and intends to add 20 more to support its growth along the East Coast.

IMGCAP(1)]

With at least 30 banks in the Chicago area on the brink of failure, a crew of ex-LaSalle bankers have formed Front Street to start shopping on their old turf.

Community Choice Financial Inc., a payday-loan company backed by a New York private equity fund, filed for a $230 million initial public offering this week, expanding some sources of consumer lending as traditional banks face new regulatory restrictions.

Mark Furlong, head of the Canadian bank's expanded U.S. unit, predicts its commercial lending may expand this year but overall lending will keep shrinking into next year.

Most banking agencies kept running on Tuesday after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake rattled Washington, but let some employees go home. There were no immediate reports of damage to any of the buildings.

A federal judge says the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. can't dodge a $10 billion lawsuit over the toxic remnants of Washington Mutual Bank.

Community groups in California are protesting Capital One Financial Corp.'s planned acquisition of ING Direct, saying the banks have done little to help low-income communities in a state that has accounted for a large chunk of their profits.

An Ohio storefront alternative lender has filed for a $230 million initial public offering, as traditional banks maintain a tight-fisted approach to consumer lending.