Investments

The private equity firms plan to sell a total of 3 million shares in the Houston company in coming weeks.

Three senators have unveiled a bill that would allow captive insurance companies to regain full membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank System.

Swelling capital levels, tax cuts and changing attitudes about post-crisis regulation could encourage bigger banks to issue the one-time payouts to reward shareholders and better manage their returns.

The bank said it plans to use proceeds from the placement to expand its operations.

The private-equity firms, which invested in a predecessor to Union Bankshares in May 2010, sold their shares for a total of $301 million.

Executives point out while they are fixing the online lender's very public problems, loan originations are still in the billions and it has expanded into wealth management.

Mick Mulvaney, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said his zero-funding request for the agency is not meant to drain it of resources.

Financial firms have mostly shrugged off the government's budget woes, but Washington's gridlock might pose a bigger risk than they think.

MSD Capital, which manages the assets of Michael Dell, and Endicott Management will pay $141 million for a 15% stake in the U.S. unit of Israel's Bank Leumi.

Look for banks to boost dividend payouts, expand into new markets, increase their tech spending and, eventually, ramp up their C&I lending. But don't expect much in the way of M&A.