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.

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.

Call-report data on commercial and industrial loans does not fully capture small-business lending by smaller institutions, a recent FDIC survey suggests.

Home equity lines could double over the next six years. Some banks are actively pursuing the consumer credit opportunity, whereas many still feel stung by the housing crisis, unimpressed by home equity’s comeback so far or fearful of nonbank competition and fraud.

The Michigan company's third-quarter results were down slightly from a year earlier despite increased commercial lending and a wider net interest margin.

With online retailers beginning to challenge the dominance of brick-and-mortar grocery stores, CRE loans to strip mails anchored by them look riskier.

The Tupelo, Miss., company has recouped its “satisfactory” community reinvestment rating, removing a regulatory obstacle to two pending acquisitions.

While disappointed with the CFPB's actions in recent years, bankers said they want to see a campaign platform before making a decision on the agency's director.

The Seattle company, which has cut about 130 positions in the business in recent months, pointed to lower originations tied to a shortage of new and resale housing.

Stephen Sessler, the director of mortgage banking at the $4 billion-asset Camden National Bank, provides other lenders a peek at the benefits and pitfalls of digital mortgages.

The proposal is aimed at a simpler capital regime particularly for community banks, but some industry representatives and regulators themselves questioned whether the plan went far enough.