Union Bank & Trust

Discount mortgages encouraging buyers

Just when it seemed mortgage rates couldn’t get any lower, First Market Bank dipped below 4 percent on mortgages for homes sold by homebuilders they lent to. Other banks followed suit, and the program is helping sell houses.

Monday Q&A: Why are local banks merging like crazy?

Within the last month, six Virginia banks have paired up faster than high schoolers on prom night. For the Monday Q&A, RBS sits down with two banking consultants and asks what the mergers may mean for local business, and whether local banks have buyer’s remorse about taking TARP money.