American Banker articles from June 2006

American Banker archives from June 2006

Fincen Wire Plan Moves To Slow Lane.(Financial Crimes Enforcement Network)
June 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- A drive to force banks to report all international wire transfers to the government has hit several major snags and appears unlikely to be implemented anytime soon. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network had been expected to...

Freddie: Some CMBS Weren't Within Charter.(Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.)
June 1, 2006... Buried in the financial information for last year that Freddie Mac released this week was the revelation that it had been found to be operating outside its charter. The problem was with its purchases of bonds from commercial mortgage...

Countrywide: Derivatives As Diversifier.(Countrywide Financial broadens services)
June 1, 2006... As part of its diversification beyond home lending, Countrywide Financial Corp. plans to get into derivative trading and write traditional auto insurance, and it is now brokering commercial policies. The Calabasas, Calif., mortgage giant...

Windy City Attractive For Some Big Players.
June 1, 2006... Executives from Bank of America Corp. and Wachovia Corp. have been vocal lately about their interest in the Chicago market. Right now, however, only the larger of the two Charlotte companies has actual brick-and-mortar operations in the...

In Brief: Doral Pays First BanCorp $2.4 Billion.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... First BanCorp announced a big step Wednesday in undoing transactions with Doral Financial Corp. that led to accounting issues for both San Juan, Puerto Rico, companies. It said it had received a $2.4 billion payment from Doral, much of...

In Brief: Keefe Bruyette in Talks to Buy Fund Firm.(fixed-income fund manager)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The head of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc. said it is in talks about buying a fixed-income fund manager to complement its equity fund business. "There is one particular firm that we've had some limited conversations with," chairman and chief...

Maryland Enacts ILC Expansion Law.(industrial loan companies)(in-store banking operations)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Maryland has become the third state to enact legislation to ban industrial loan companies, such as the one pursued by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., from opening bank branches in the state on the site of a commercial affiliate. Though Gov. Robert...

Pay Makes Up 33% to 50% Of Trade Group Expense: Second of two parts.(banking associations)
June 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The American Bankers Association, by far the largest of five national trade groups representing the banking industry here, also spends the most on its staff. Nearly 50% of the group's expenses go to salaries. At the other end...

Executive Changes.
June 1, 2006... NEW ENGLAND Bank of Southern Connecticut of New Haven has hired Robert Mantilia as its chief lending and marketing officer. Mr. Mantilia, who has also been named a senior vice president at the $95 million-asset unit of Southern...

Expansion Rule a Tough Balancing Act for NCUA.(National Credit Union Administration)(facilities in underserved areas)
June 1, 2006... The National Credit Union Administration's abrupt decision to delay the release of a highly anticipated final rule underscores the agency's awkward position in the debate over credit union expansion into underserved areas. Just days before...

Bank Holding Companies with the Most Employees: Full-time equivalent, on Dec. 31, 2005. Dollars in thousands.(Table)
June 1, 2006... Dec. 31 Year earlier Change Assets 1 Citigroup Inc. New York 331,235 315,434 5.01% $1,494,037,000 2 Bank of America Corp. Charlotte 176,634 176,362 0.15 1,294,312,241 3 JPMorgan Chase & Co. New York 161,916 155,000 4.46...

U.S. Banking Companies with Highest Multiples of Net to Salary, Benefits: On Dec. 31, 2005. Dollars in thousands*.(Table)
June 1, 2006... Salaries and Return on Multiple Net income benefits average assets 1 Amboy Bancorp. Old Bridge, N.J. 5.69 $81,824 $14,377 3.21% 2 Dairyland Bank Holding Corp. La Crosse, Wis. 4.38 5,646 1,289 2.73 3 Pawnee Holding Co. Inc....

401(k) Plans Adopt Some Pension-Plan Techniques.(automatic enrollment)
June 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Even as traditional pension plans decline in importance, 401(k) programs are taking on many of the automatic features that are typical of defined benefit plans, especially as a means of dealing with low participation rates. ...

In Brief: Brokers to Pay $13M in Bond Market Probe.(bond auction violations)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday that 15 brokerage firms had agreed to pay a combined $13 million to settle charges of violations in the auction rate securities market for municipal and corporate bonds. Fines of...

In Brief: AIG Introduces School Coverage Program.(private schools)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... AI Risk, a unit of American International Group Inc., said Wednesday that it had started AI Risk Education Program, a multiline property and casualty program for private primary schools, colleges, and universities. The program is designed...

In Brief: Bank of N.Y. Adds Title for Pershing Chief.(Richard F. Brueckner)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Bank of New York Co. Inc. announced the appointment Wednesday of Richard F. Brueckner, the chief executive officer of its Pershing LLC unit, to be a senior executive vice president of the parent. Mr. Brueckner is to remain a member of Bank...

In Brief: Schwab Managed Accounts Pick JPM Unit.(JPMorgan Worldwide Securities Services)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... JPMorgan Worldwide Securities Services, a subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase Bank that provides custody and securities services, announced Wednesday that Charles Schwab Investment Management had chosen it to administer separately managed accounts in...

In Brief: Northern Trust Gets Del. Pension Mandate.(custodian for Delaware Public Employees' Retirement System)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Northern Trust Corp. said Wednesday that it had been selected by the Delaware Public Employees' Retirement System to be custodian for $6.5 billion of assets. The agreement takes effect July 1, including domestic and global custody and...

In Brief: E-Trade in Deal for Dallas Advisory Firm.(Retirement Advisors of America)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... E-Trade Financial Corp. has announced plans to buy Retirement Advisors of America, a Dallas registered investment adviser, as part of a region-by-region expansion strategy. When the deal closes in the third quarter, Retirement Advisors is...

Visa Folding Plus into VisaNet for Security.(automated teller machine network to be integrated)
June 1, 2006... Visa U.S.A. is planning to integrate its Plus automated teller machine network into its primary network, VisaNet. The consolidation, announced Wednesday, would enable Visa to evaluate every Plus transaction for signs of fraud and would make...

Calif. Eyes State-Government Payments System.(electronic payments)
June 1, 2006... California legislators were due to vote Wednesday on a bill that would mandate a payment system the state's agencies could use to send and receive electronic payments. The system would have to be up and running by the start of 2009. It...

Fannie: Portfolio Cap a GAAP Figure.(mortgage portfolio as determined by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The portfolio cap Fannie Mae agreed to implement in a settlement announced last week with its regulator over accounting misdeeds has turned out to not be the $727 billion observers believed. The government-sponsored enterprise agreed to...

Web Check Settlement Nearing a Milestone.(more images clearing electronically)
June 1, 2006... The number of check images that settle electronically is closing in on the number of images that must be converted back to paper. Though banks convert millions of checks into images every month, more than half of them must be printed out as...

In Brief: More Anti-Fraud Software from Fair Isaac.(Falcon One for Online Access)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Fair Isaac Corp. has introduced software meant to spot fraudulent Internet transactions and criminals tapping into online customers' network connections. Its Falcon One for Online Access software examines users' online banking behavior and...

In Brief: Fiserv Check Capture for Northern Trust.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Fiserv Inc. of Brookfield, Wis., has started processing check images for merchant customers of Northern Trust Corp. of Chicago. They are using software from Fiserv's Imagesoft unit that measures image quality and usability and reads dollar...

Bank of NY Expects Global Payoff from Swap with JPM.(retail, middle market banking unit traded for corporate trust business)
June 1, 2006... Acquiring JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s corporate trust business will raise Bank of New York Co. Inc.'s profile abroad in that line and the amount of debt it services. So says Karen B. Peetz, who leads the Bank of New York business and is to...

In Brief: Tax Law Sparks 2Q Charge at State Street.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... State Street Corp. said Wednesday that it plans to take a noncash charge of $50 million, or 15 cents a share, this quarter to reflect an adjustment to tax expenses related to leveraged leases. The Boston company, which reported the charge...

In Brief: Mercantile of Ill. Makes Deal in Florida.(buying Royal Palm Bancorp)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Mercantile Bancorp Inc. of Quincy, Ill., said it had agreed to buy Royal Palm Bancorp Inc. of Naples, Fla., for $44.4 million in cash. The deal, announced Wednesday, is expected to close this year and would take the $1.5 billion-asset...

In Brief: Analyst: Synovus Cooling Toward TSYS.(Synovus Financial Corp. stake in Total System Services)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Synovus Financial Corp.'s management may be "seriously questioning the advisability" of maintaining its 81% stake in the card processor Total System Services Inc., a report by BankAtlantic Bancorp's Ryan Beck & Co. Inc. said. Anthony...

In Brief: 15 Added to ACB's Nasdaq Bank Index.(America's Community Bankers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... America's Community Bankers said it has added 15 banking stocks to its Nasdaq bank index. The largest of the additions, announced Wednesday, is the $1 billion-asset PAB Bankshares Inc. in Valdosta, Ga. The smallest is the $79 million-asset...

In Brief: Fed Closing More Check-Processing Sites.(clearing operations)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Federal Reserve Board said it would close check-processing units in San Francisco, Kansas City, Mo., and Helena, Mont., by early 2008. The closings, announced Wednesday would leave the Fed with 18 clearing sites; it had 45 less than...

Purchase Is Done - So What's Next?(Sovereign Bancorp Inc. acquires Independence Community Bancorp Inc.)(Company overview)
June 2, 2006... Sovereign Bancorp Inc. took ownership of Independence Community Bancorp Inc. on Thursday, completing a deal that at times had been mired in controversy. Jay Sidhu, Sovereign's chairman and chief executive, immediately laid out his plans...

Assessment Change Near For $10B Set.
June 2, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is poised to change the way it calculates premiums charged to banks with more than $10 billion of assets. The agency's proposal, expected to be unveiled June 21, would assess a large bank's...

How Advice Fits into E-Trade's Plans.(Company overview)
June 2, 2006... E-Trade's recent acquisitions of investment advisory firms, including a deal announced this week, are giving it access to a wealthy market segment and helping to further evolve its product and service offerings. "We've built a...

Colorado Deals End Droughts for Two Buyers.
June 2, 2006... Two all-cash Colorado deals announced Thursday highlight the appeal of that fast-growing state. U.S. Bancorp, of Minneapolis, agreed to pay $98.6 million for the $705 million-asset Vail Banks Inc. of Avon. The bank acquisition would be...

People.
June 2, 2006... Don't Rush Me When Chuck Prince, Citigroup Inc.'s chairman and chief executive, talks with investors, there's usually some discussion of acquisitions. The topic came up Thursday at a Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. LLC conference in New...

Banks and MSBs Offer Fincen Ways To Fix Problems.(Industry overview)
June 2, 2006... Banks and money-services businesses are promoting a range of tactics the government could adopt to ease tensions between the two industries. Among the most dramatic suggestions to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement...

In Brief: Glacier to Acquire Its First Utah Bank.(Glacier Bancorp Inc. )(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Glacier Bancorp Inc. in Kalispell, Mont., has made its first deal for a Utah bank. The $3.8 billion-asset Glacier said Wednesday that it plans to buy the $70 million-asset First National Bank of Morgan for $20 million in cash and stock....

In Brief: Fifth Third Selling Three Ind. Branches.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... First Farmers Bank and Trust of Converse, Ind., has agreed to acquire three branches from the $107 billion-asset Fifth Third Bancorp, of Cincinnati. The deal, announced Wednesday, is expected to close in the third quarter. The $500...

In Brief: ABA Offers Storm Recommendations.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... With this week marking the start of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, the American Bankers Association has unveiled policy recommendations from its task force on hurricane preparedness. The recommendations, announced Wednesday during a...

Laredo of Texas Hits the Beach in Mexico Venture.(Product/service evaluation)
June 2, 2006... Laredo National Bank's newest mortgage program is targeting soon-to-be-retiring baby boomers who dream of owning resort property along Mexico's beaches. Since March the $4.1 billion-asset Texas bank has been offering mortgages in Mexico...

Sallie Mae Giving Itself a 529 Lift In Upromise Deal.(Company overview)
June 2, 2006... SLM Corp., the student loan giant commonly known as Sallie Mae, said Thursday that it has a deal to buy Upromise Inc., a leading administrator of college savings accounts. Sallie did not say how much it would pay, but a spokesman, Thomas...

Security Watch.
June 2, 2006... Privacy The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales are urging Internet service providers to retain information on their customers' online activities. Law enforcement officials said the information could...

In Brief: Wachovia Closes Ameriprise 401(k) Deal.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Wachovia Corp. announced Thursday that it had closed its purchase of Ameriprise Financial Inc.'s defined contribution record keeping business. After adding Ameriprise's 225 retirement plans and 682,000 participants, along with $28.3...

In Brief: Mellon Unit Appoints Investment Chief.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Boston Co. Asset Management LLC, a unit of Mellon Financial Corp., said Thursday that it had named David Cameron chief investment officer. Mr. Cameron has been the company's head of U.S. equities since November 2004. In his newly created...

In Brief: MassMutual Offers a Near-Retiree Annuity.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. launched a single-premium deferred variable annuity Thursday. MassMutual Equity Edge is a simplified variable annuity designed to offer a degree of equity exposure with built-in principal protection...

RSA Combines Security Tools from Acquired Firms.
June 2, 2006... RSA Security Inc., which has purchased two security companies since December, has combined their software to create a single product for authenticating identities and monitoring transactions for fraud. The Bedford, Mass., company has long...

Fed Plan to Shut Check Sites Seen Spurring Imaging.(Industry overview)
June 2, 2006... A plan by the Federal Reserve Board to shutter three western check-processing centers could encourage banks to implement image technology, industry observers say. The Fed said Wednesday that its sites in San Francisco, Helena, Mont., and...

Partial Conversions Lead To Constituency Conflicts.(Industry overview)
June 2, 2006... Debate is escalating about corporate governance at the holding companies of partially converted thrifts. Some complain that it fails to address the interests of private investors. Others posit that management locked in place by a partially...

Net Neutrality Legislation's Rotten at Core.
June 2, 2006... The free-market principles have allowed for the growth of the Internet as we know it today, and this growth has allowed the financial services industry to expand its offerings to consumers. Proponents of the net neutrality legislation...

A Little Visual Change Goes a Long Way.
June 2, 2006... What do banks have in common with trees? Most folks notice either's branches only when their appearance changes a little. Fellow arborists, allow me to explain. I once lived in a fall foliage tourist area. I was always amazed at the...

What Wachovia Can Learn from Rivals About Calif.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Most California community groups welcome competition in the banking field. Through discussions with three dozen minority business, community, church and civil rights groups, we have decided to welcome Wachovia's entry through its acquisition of...

For Lenders, Jury Out on Ohio Bill.
June 2, 2006... The Ohio anti-predator bill that Gov. Bob Taft is expected to sign shortly is so detailed that several companies say it is too soon to decide whether to keep lending in the state. This week spokespeople for JPMorgan Chase & Co., National...

In Brief: Price Hits American Home Stock Rating.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Ivan Feinseth, the research director for Matrix USA LLC, downgraded American Home Mortgage Corp.'s stock to "buy," from "strong buy," for valuation reasons. The stock has risen around 10% since late March, Mr. Feinseth said in a brief...

In Brief: Payday Lender Signs Web Marketing Deal.(Interactive Brand Development Inc. will provide Internet marketing for payday lender Easy Money Express Inc.)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Interactive Brand Development Inc., a company that runs an auction and marketing Web site, has agreed to provide Internet marketing for the payday lender Easy Money Express Inc. LitFunding Corp., the Las Vegas company that acquired Easy...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 2, 2006... In the March 14 paper, the table on pages 8 and 9, "Bank Holding Companies with Largest Business Loan Portfolios," had a column of erroneous figures. Those labeled as total business loans in September 2005 were actually from a year earlier. ...

In Brief: Michigan Bank Chief Jumps Ship.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Jose A. Infante resigned this week as the chairman, president, and chief executive of the $225 million-asset Community Shores Bank Corp. of Muskegon, Mich., and joined Independent Bank West Michigan of Grand Rapids as a senior vice president....

In Brief: TD Banknorth Tests Free ATM Use.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... TD Banknorth Inc. customers in some of its markets can now withdraw funds without paying a fee at any automated teller machine in the world that accepts Visa debit cards. The Portland, Maine, company said Thursday that it automatically...

In Brief: Commerce of N.J. Joining S&P 500.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... Commerce Bancorp Inc.'s shares received a boost after Standard & Poor's Corp. said the Cherry Hill, N.J., company's stock will be added to the S&P 500 index June 5. The $40 billion-asset Commerce will replace Engelhard Corp., an Iselin,...

In Brief: BB&T Closes Deal for Main Street.(Brief article)
June 2, 2006... BB&T Corp. said that it has acquired Main Street Banks Inc. of Atlanta for $599 million. The deal, which closed Thursday, boosted BB&T's asset total to $110 billion and gave the Winston-Salem, N.C., banking company the fifth-largest...

Wider Horizons.
June 5, 2006... A three-branch Chicago bank that sold control to an equity firm in May has a deal in the suburbs and plans "to continue to be opportunistic." (c) 2006 American Banker and SourceMedia, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.americanbanker.com...

Oxley Gets The Bronze In Paid Travel.(Michael Oxley's expenses)
June 5, 2006... WASHINGTON -- House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley and his aides took nearly 290 privately funded trips worth at least $470,000 from January 2000 through June 2005, ranking third among all lawmakers' offices. Frequent...

Deal Shows Expansion Plan at First Charter.
June 5, 2006... With its deal for GBC Bancorp Inc. in suburban Atlanta, First Charter Corp. of Charlotte is taking a big step toward building a regional franchise stretching from Virginia to Georgia. The $4.3 billion-asset First Charter has agreed to pay...

Why the Fixation on Branches? Prince Asks.(Citigroup Inc.)(Company overview)
June 5, 2006... Citigroup Inc. is staying on message about an international expansion that involves building more branches abroad than at home, and it is asking critics of its U.S. strategy to look beyond bricks and mortar. Analysts have said the New York...

Executive Changes.(Bank of America hired Joseph I. Johnson and Margaret M.V. Preston)(Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond appointed Sally Green and Tammy H. Cummings)(Wachovia Corp. of Charlotte put Mark Lamarre in charge of the technology and services group)
June 5, 2006... MIDDLE ATLANTIC Bank of America of Charlotte has hired Joseph I. Johnson and Margaret M.V. Preston as market executives for its private bank. Mr. Johnson will lead the private bank's efforts in Baltimore, Washington, McLean, Va., and...

Washington People.(Richard W. Hartt has been named a deputy director of the United States. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.)(William Duhnke will become the Senate Banking Committee's new staff director)
June 5, 2006... Casey to Duhnke William Duhnke will become the Senate Banking Committee's new staff director, succeeding Kathleen L. Casey, who has been nominated to a seat on the Securities and Exchange Commission. Sources said Banking Committee...

Frequent Sponsors for Trips Included ABA, Big Board, Citi.(American Bankers Association)
June 5, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Financial services trade groups, large banking companies, and government-sponsored enterprises actively funded congressional trips over the past six years, according to travel records filed by lawmakers. The American Bankers...

Building a Market for Plastic with Personal Photos.(First National Bank of Omaha )
June 5, 2006... Letting consumers put a photo on their credit and debit cards builds loyalty and boosts spending, said executives at First National Bank of Omaha and Serverside Group Ltd., a London vendor of software for that purpose. "If they have a...

Boston Private Deal Bucks Proprietary Trend.
June 5, 2006... Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc.'s purchase Friday of 80% of a Boston separately managed account provider puts the company for the first time into manufacturing these products -- and into conflict with an industry trend toward separating...

In Brief: AIG Sued in Fund-Sales Abuse.(American International Group Inc.)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... A class action has been filed in a federal court in New York against American International Group Inc. and a subsidiary that sold NationsFunds mutual funds found last year by NASD to have received preferential treatment in exchange for directed...

In Brief: Sun Life US Notes Get aa-plus.(A.M. Best Co. assigned a debt rating )(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... A.M. Best Co. assigned a debt rating of aa-plus Friday to a funding-agreement-backed securities program established by Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada (U.S.), the Wilmington, Del., unit of the Toronto insurer. The Oldwick, N.J., company...

Interpreting Balance-Sheet Maneuvers.
June 5, 2006... At first glance, a recent shift in how some large banking companies are managing their balance sheets indicates bankers are optimistic that interest rates will not go any higher. But observers disagree on whether the shift is a true rate...

New Getronics Exec Touts Breadth of Offerings.
June 5, 2006... By hiring a high-profile executive from a rival, Getronics NV hopes to boost its sales in the United States. The Amsterdam information and communication technology vendor is probably best known in U.S. banking circles as a developer of...

In Brief: Tier Chief Quits After Delisting.(James R. Weaver resigned )(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... James R. Weaver resigned as the chairman and chief executive of Tier Technologies Inc. after an audit committee recommended that he leave the beleaguered Reston, Va., credit-card tax-payment company. Tier announced his departure last week....

In Brief: Merrill: First Data Undervalued.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... First Data Corp., which is preparing to spin off its Western Union Financial Services, may be an undervalued stock. Gregory Smith, an analyst for Merrill Lynch & Co., wrote in a research note issued Friday that the Denver processor's parts...

In Brief: HUD: Multifamily 'Carve-Outs' are Fine.(Department of Housing and Urban Development )(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... The Department of Housing and Urban Development has officially told Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that they may purchase securities that receive cash flows only from the multifamily loans in a pool of commercial mortgages. As American Banker...

Pricing Studies Clash Again on Racial Steering.
June 5, 2006... For the second year in a row, a New York law firm has analyzed federal mortgage-lending data and found little discrepancy by race in subprime lending, despite community group findings to the contrary. The study released last week by Traiger...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 5, 2006... In the June 1 paper, "Web Check Settlement Nearing a Milestone" on page 18 understated the Federal Reserve banks' image volume by misidentifying the average daily April figures for their FedForward and FedReceipt services as totals for the...

Chicago Bank Has Deal in the Burbs.(Castle Creek Capital LLC bought 89% of LDF)
June 5, 2006... The 100-year-old Labe Bank in Chicago has taken pride in being an urban bank that speaks the languages of its immigrant customers. Now its parent, the $528 million-asset LDF Inc., is buying a second home, in the suburbs. It has agreed to...

In Brief: Fair Lending, Nominees Get Hearings.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Fair lending and the fate of nominees to lead four regulatory agencies will be on lawmakers' plates this month. On Thursday, the Senate Banking Committee will hear testimony from four White House nominees: Sheila C. Bair to head the Federal...

In Brief: S&P Upgrades Sovereign Credit Rating.(Standard & Poor)(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Standard & Poor's upgraded its counterparty credit rating for Sovereign Bancorp Inc. of Philadelphia to BBB, from BBB-minus, and removed the rating from CreditWatch "positive." The rating agency withdrew its BBB counterparty rating for...

In Brief: Farmers Capital Selling Bank to Citizens 1st.(Brief article)
June 5, 2006... Citizens First Corp. of Bowling Green, Ky., has agreed to buy the $110 million-asset Kentucky Banking Centers Inc. of Glasgow for $20 million in cash. Kentucky Banking Centers is one of seven banks owned by Farmers Capital Bank Corp. of...

Investment Banking Seen Maintaining Its Strength.
June 5, 2006... Capital markets revenue lifted the earnings of the nation's largest banking companies in recent quarters, and analysts say the trend is likely to continue in second-quarter reports. Several analysts said they expect good earnings growth...

Confronting an Imbalance.(Brief article)
June 6, 2006... Predictions that most of the industry's assets would be concentrated in big banks and small banks, with little in between, have not quite come true. Banks with $1 billion or less have lost share in nearly every loan category and now...