Community banking

Lenders should be subjected to tough reviews of their readiness for economic threats posed by severe weather, required to disclose risks lurking in their portfolios and perhaps forced to set aside extra capital, a government study recently recommended.

Congress should pass legislation that would allow Home Loan banks to backstop deposits by local governments at commercial banks and lower the cost of bond financing, two mayors argue.

Justice Department officials have embarked on a rewrite of antitrust policy that could waive certain requirements for community bank mergers and provide fewer advantages to large, out-of-town buyers and banks in urban areas.

The bank said the move will provide more flexibility raising capital and more options when it comes to pursuing bank acquisitions.

Driver Management, a bank investor, alleges that First United in Maryland made false claims and improperly lobbied lawmakers to keep its nominees off the board. The bank asserts that it acted properly in response to an attempted hostile takeover.