Not only are widening credit spreads for both banks and the companies they lend to a red flag, but the financial sector is also feeling a hit from lower energy prices.

A mature governance framework and risk culture that reaches all employees are among the attributes of a high-functioning "risk organization."

Banks reassess the borrowing capacity of oil exploration and production companies twice a year. The spring round of energy loan redeterminations is scheduled to begin in April. Will banks successfully use this process to de-risk?

Peoples Bancorp in Marietta, Ohio, has obtained a $15 million credit line and has paid off an earlier loan.

Regulators want to know how banks are planning for the future, particularly in the face of competitive threats such as marketplace lending and added scrutiny over the use of third-party vendors.

Investors have punished most energy lenders since oil prices began sliding more than a year ago. Despite a recent rally, stocks of publicly traded banks with at least 3.5% of loans tied to the energy sector have fallen by 18% since early 2015. The KBW Nasdaq bank index is down 13% over that time. Here is a look at the worst-performing energy lenders in the past year and one exception to the rule.

Their top executives sure don't. Income streams are constrained in every business line, the economic picture remains murky, and big banks are talking about cutting more expenses again.

Green Bancorp Chief Executive Geoff Greenwade, eager to tamp down speculation of a potential sale, stressed during a conference presentation that the Houston company plans to remain independent.

Changes to mortgage disclosures rules implemented in October continue to frustrate community bankers and is just another example of the struggle to stay independent.

The pace of bank mergers and acquisitions has slowed of late as bank stock values have plummeted, but expect it to pick up as 2016 wears on. Here's why.

BBCN Bancorp withstood numerous overtures from Hanmi Financial — and a revolt by four of its own directors — as it negotiated a deal to buy Wilshire Bancorp. A new filing discloses just how intense those pressures were.

Add BB&T to the list of banks bolstering reserves because of growing concerns about energy exposure.

Northern Trust has agreed to buy Aurora Investment Management, a hedge fund portfolio manager that's owned by Natixis Global Asset Management.

HarborOne Bank, a mutually owned co-operative bank in Brockton, Mass., plans to sell shares to the public.

BBVA has acquired Holvi, a Finnish online business banking service.

Huntington Bancshares made five pitches to buy FirstMerit. It took a fixed cash component, several board seats and hefty commitments to FirstMerit's employees and major markets in Ohio and Michigan to seal the deal.

Triumph Bancorp in Dallas has agreed to buy ColoEast Bankshares in Lamar, Colo.

Wonder Bancorp and Harvard Illinois Bancorp have extended the deadline for their merger to May 31, according to a joint news release issued Friday.

Cordia Bancorp recently sold its student lending platform due to concerns about loan concentrations. In doing so, the Virginia company provided another example of why it is difficult for smaller institutions to gain traction in marketplace lending.

Market volatility and new regulatory burdens are thinning the ranks of commercial mortgage lenders that underwrite loans for securitizations. Activity is slowing down as a result, and it is unclear if banks and insurers will fill the void, especially outside the largest cities.