The House Financial Services Committee passed 13 bills (and scrapped a vote on one) Wednesday, including one that would stop Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from being released by the government and another hailed as helping the underbanked in rural areas.

The company has agreed to buy the operations of Veterans Mortgage in Salt Lake City.

Critics argue that the consumer bureau's independence is being undermined, and they worry that a precedent is being established that could hamper the autonomy of other U.S. financial regulators.

The Tennessee company also set high expectations for revenue opportunities while projecting it will deliver a 15% return on equity in 2019.

The 2018 gubernatorial race will be watched closely both by bankers and consumer advocates to see whether Cordray's leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau becomes a campaign asset or a liability.

Colonial Savings founder James S. DuBose died after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 93.

A New York banker who mastered the art of buying low and selling high, broke industry norms and learned from his mistakes in commercial real estate, John Kanas became a model regional bank builder. After stepping down as BankUnited's CEO last year, he wants to do "one more thing" before fully calling it quits.

The trade group wants Equifax to reimburse community banks for costs tied to the massive data breach at the credit bureau this year. The ICBA also wants a court to order Equifax to improve its security measures.

HomeStreet's CEO said mortgage expansion and bank acquisitions — concerns highlighted recently by Blue Lion Capital — are helping the company diversify.

The Michigan company, which lost more than $1.4 billion in the aftermath of the financial crisis, is trying to become more of a commercial lender. Its recent agreement to buy a deposit-rich franchise in California could help it get there.

The agency's Quarterly Banking Profile said banks earned $47.9 billion in the third quarter, helped by a 7.4% increase in net interest income from the previous year.

Blue Lion Capital believes a heavy focus on mortgages and acquisitions is hurting HomeStreet's financial performance.

Carver Bancorp, which has spent 70 years serving minorities in Harlem and surrounding neighborhoods, is struggling to turn a profit. As black-run banks nationwide struggle to stay afloat, Carver's CEO insists the institution is on the right track.

Clearinghouse CDFI will use funds from the $2 million investment to support affordable-housing and economic development projects in communities and Native American reservations in California, Nevada and Arizona.

The San Francisco company said Friday that it has terminated Franklin Codel, effective immediately, over an interaction he had with a former employee regarding that employee's termination.

Sterling Bancorp in New York is determined to turn Astoria Financial's largely residential operation into a commercial powerhouse. While investors are skeptical, CEO Jack Kopnisky has proven in the past that such an ambitious plan is doable.

During the past year, many have hoped for action from Washington that would alleviate regulatory burden and stem the rapid pace of consolidation. But in the current political environment, that appears increasingly unlikely.

Rather than pull up stakes and leave two low-income Mississippi towns at the mercy of payday lenders, Regions Bank donated the branches to a local credit union and kicked in another $500,000 for operating costs.

Capital Corps, led by Steven Sugarman, aims to provide financing to homeowners and small businesses that it believes are overlooked by banks. The firm features several former Banc of California executives.

Top banking executives called the Republican tax plan an important first step toward tax reform and economic stimulus, but questions immediately arose about whether trade-offs and complexities in the bill would undercut it.