Business - Banking Industry

NEW YORK - Partner Communications Co. said Monday it has appointed a former investment banker to its board of directors. Full Story »

CALABASAS, Calif. - Bank of America Corp. said Monday it has provided mortgage relief through loan modifications for more than 600,000 homeowners since January 2008. Full Story »

ZURICH (Reuters) - Rock-bottom interest rates are luring banks into taking risky bets and central banks should be alert to the negative effects of loose monetary policy on financial stability, a high-profile study showed. Full Story »

RAMALLAH, West Bank - The World Bank has given $64 million to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to help it prepare for statehood. Full Story »

NEW DELHI (AFP) - Rich nations will have to be sensitive to the needs of developing economies to reach agreement on tackling climate change, World Bank chief Robert Zoellick warned Friday, days ahead of a key summit. Full Story »

BEIJING - A senior Chinese official criticized foreign banks for selling derivatives with "fraudulent characteristics" that led to heavy losses for state-owned airlines and other companies. Full Story »

LONDON (AFP) - China and the World Bank are in talks on setting up low-cost factories in new industrial zones in Africa to help nations achieve higher economic growth, bank president Robert Zoellick said Friday. Full Story »

SAN FRANCISCO - Bank of America Corp. said Thursday it raised $19.29 billion in a complex share sale to help pay back $45 billion in government bailout funds. Full Story »

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Now that Bank of America Corp. is freeing itself from the government restrictions that hampered its search for a new CEO, the company should look more appealing to prospective candidates, especially those from outside the company. Full Story »

BUFFALO, N.Y. - First Niagara Financial Group Inc. said Thursday it will apply to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to become a commercial bank instead of a thrift. Full Story »

NEW YORK - TD Bank Financial Group, a Toronto-based company that operates in the U.S. and Canada, on Thursday posted flat fiscal fourth-quarter profit, as gains in its wholesale banking unit and its Canadian operations offset declines in its U.S. retail bank and a hike in the money it set aside to cover bad loans. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters) - Four British banks have a $5 billion combined exposure to Dubai World, making them the biggest foreign creditor group at the Dubai state-owned conglomerate, the Financial Times said on Thursday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - More than a million American households lost access to basic banking services like savings accounts last year, bank regulators say. Full Story »

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 2 - FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To: All Persons Who Purchased The Class A Common Stock Of BankAtlantic Bancorp, Inc. ("BankAtlantic") During The Period From November 9, 2005 Through October 25, 2007 (the "Class"). Full Story »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp on Wednesday announced cash awards that could reach seven figures for three senior executives, including two whose salaries were cut after a review by White House pay czar Kenneth Feinberg. Full Story »

NEW YORK - Regional banks' shares received a modest boost Wednesday as an analyst was optimistic loan losses would begin to shrink in 2010. Full Story »

NEW YORK - The dollar slid against most major currencies and fell below the Swiss franc Tuesday on promising economic reports around the world and the Bank of Japan's decision to provide markets with more liquidity. Full Story »

NEW YORK - Umpqua Bank on Tuesday said it was accepted as a member of a trade body, enabling it to handle international trade finance for its clients. Full Story »