Citizens Bank

If the documents filed in recent weeks are any indication, a truce is not likely Monday when one of the region's more prolific developers, J. Brian O'Neill, and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania face off in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. Judge Albert W. Sheppard Jr. is scheduled to hear arguments on a motion by Citizens Bank to have O'Neill's stunning lawsuit - filled with allegations of fraud and other abuses by the bank - thrown out. In January, O'Neill sued the bank for $8 billion, alleging broken financial promises by Citizens that he says have "destroyed" his much-anticipated - and largely incomplete - Uptown Worthington mixed-use development in Malvern.

ON SEPT. 13, Philadelphia City Council unanimously passed a resolution that I sponsored calling on the Philadelphia Community Reinvestment Commission to establish reinvestment agreements with banks entering the Philadelphia market. The resolution cited that reinvestment commission member Mellon Bank had sold its branches to Citizens Bank. Mellon's appointment to the commission was due to its market share of small business lending in low -income communities. Recently released data from the City Controller's Office shows that loans for small business in low-income communities are decreasing.

Westward ho! That could be the latest rallying cry for housing in Philadelphia thanks to Citizens Bank's new program in and around University City. The news couldn't be more welcome. Not only will the effort build upon the University of Pennsylvania's success in redeveloping that area, it could encourage other lenders to invest in neighborhoods with the potential to go from high-risk to highly desirable. Citizens will make available $28.5 million in grants and low-interest loans for small businesses, and for residents and community groups to buy properties and do renovations.

WHAT a difference going to a Phillies game compared to an Eagles game in the upper level. I've been an Eagles season ticketholder for 35 years and also attend my fair share of Phillies games. The Phils' employees are all helpful and polite. I can't say that about most Eagles employees. The female usher at our section (420) at a recent Phillies game even wiped off our seat before we sat down. They reversed the escalator toward the end of the game so people didn't have to walk the ramps the whole way down - unlike the Eagles, who shut the escalators down and guard them so you're forced to walk down the neverending shaky ramps.

Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania said yesterday that it would hire more than 300 workers by the end of June for its Philadelphia-area operations. The Scottish-owned bank bought Mellon Bank's branches last year. More than half the added workers will be based at Citizens' new data center above Strawbridge's on Market Street; most of the rest will work as branch tellers. Mayor Street praised the "immediate economic shot in the arm" that the hiring would produce, and said it showed the bank's "long-term commitment to growth" in the city.

Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania and developer Brian O'Neill of O'Neill Properties Group have announced a settlement of all litigation between them. The terms and conditions of the settlement are confidential. O'Neill, one of the Philadelphia region's most prolific developers of residential and commercial properties, had filed a lawsuit against Citizens, one of his company's primary lenders, in January 2010, claiming that it breached its financial commitments to him. That action was part of a deteriorating relationship between bank and developer, with Citizens Bank having secured a $61 million judgment against O'Neill in November 2009 for default on an office-construction loan for his still-largely incomplete Uptown Worthington mixed-use project in East Whiteland Township, Chester County.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services boosted its credit rating of Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania to "A/A-1" from "A-/A-2. " The upgrade also applied to RBS Citizens N.A., which has branches in New England and in the Midwest. Both banks are owned by Citizens Financial Group, of Providence, R.I., which is a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group p.l.c. S&P cited Citizens' improved profitability this year and the stabilization of Citizens' loan book, which includes $24 billion worth of home-equity loans from areas where it has branches.

Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania is closing nine branches in the Philadelphia region, consisting of seven in Southeastern Pennsylvania, one in South Jersey, and one in northern Delaware, a spokeswoman said Friday. The bank, which is part of Citizens Financial Group, based in Rhode Island, had 173 branches in the eight-county Philadelphia region at the end of June, the second largest number behind Wells Fargo's 187. Spokeswoman Sylvia Bronner said the closures were part of a regular process of assessing how the bank can best serve its customers economically.

One of the biggest challenges teachers face is keeping their students engaged in the learning process. Start off strong, and the chances for a good school year increase radically. But across the Delaware Valley, some students are at a disadvantage because they lack something pretty basic - school supplies. Yet it all makes sense. A child who begins or returns to school this fall lacking the physical tools needed to succeed - such as new paper, pencils, and a backpack - is more likely to struggle.

  Throughout the 2011 baseball season, the Daily News was inundated with emails and calls. Nonetheless, Phillie Phoodie is back for another season as the guardian of Phanatics' taste buds. This year, the Phoodista will sample new offerings at Citizens Bank Park, as well as some nearby eateries that are popular game-day stops for Phillies fans. We may even hit the road to taste test some of the region's minor league ball parks.   First up: Outlet: Panini's, at Section 133. We went: Pregame, 12:30 p.m. Wait: None.

RBS Citizens Financial Group Inc., which owns Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania, said it is expanding its private student loans business to all 48 contiguous states from the 12 now served by Citizens and Charter One, another bank owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. The move comes amid increased attention to the heavy debt loads of college students. A Citizens spokeswoman said the bank's student loan business had grown 50 percent in the past year, but declined to say how much Citizens has in student loans outstanding.

A man brandishing a fake beard and a silver handgun robbed a Citizens Bank in Whitpain Township on Sunday, police said. Township police gave few details of the heist, which they said took place at 11:05 a.m. at a branch at 48 Skippack Pike. Police were asking for help in identifying the man, who they said was white, stood 6 feet tall, and weighed about 180 pounds. He was wearing a fake reddish-blond wig and sunglasses. Anyone with information should call 610-279-9033. - Tom Infield

A 28-year-old Fishtown man has been charged with two bank robberies in Northeast Philadelphia, police said Tuesday. Brandon Shields was arrested Monday at an apartment complex in Wynnewood by members of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and Lower Merion police. Shields, of the 1100 block of East Eyre Street, allegedly robbed a PNC Bank at 6855 Frankford Ave. on Dec. 7 and a Citizens Bank at 6537 Castor Ave. on Jan. 6. - Robert Moran

It was billed the Outdoor Classic, but more appropriately it was a chance to look at some potential reinforcements for the Flyers. However, according to Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren, those reinforcements aren't likely to be playing in Saturday's Flyers game. On Friday night the Adirondack Phantoms, the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, scored a 4-3 overtime win over the Hershey Bears in front of 45,667 at Citizens Bank Park. Shane Harper's breakaway goal 58 seconds into the overtime was the game-winner.

Astonishing in its animus and its initially enormous damage claims, litigation between two of the region's economic heavyweights - Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania and developer Brian O'Neill - is over. Accompanying word of a settlement from O'Neill and the bank Friday was O'Neill's enthusiastic pronouncement that his long-stalled Uptown Worthington mixed-use development near Malvern - which stood at the center of the nearly two-year-long dispute - would soon rumble with new construction.

Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania and developer Brian O'Neill of O'Neill Properties Group have announced a settlement of all litigation between them. The terms and conditions of the settlement are confidential. O'Neill, one of the Philadelphia region's most prolific developers of residential and commercial properties, had filed a lawsuit against Citizens, one of his company's primary lenders, in January 2010, claiming that it breached its financial commitments to him. That action was part of a deteriorating relationship between bank and developer, with Citizens Bank having secured a $61 million judgment against O'Neill in November 2009 for default on an office-construction loan for his still-largely incomplete Uptown Worthington mixed-use project in East Whiteland Township, Chester County.

NEW YORK - Come Jan. 2, when the Flyers and Rangers play the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies' home ballpark will be transformed into an homage to outdoor hockey. The NHL's signature regular-season event will appear seamlessly integrated into a facility specifically erected to provide an optimal baseball-viewing experience. The bulk of the preparation responsibilities fall on the shoulders of Don Renzulli, the NHL's senior vice president of events. In April, he started overseeing biweekly logistical planning meetings with about 50 people in the largest conference room on the 14th floor in the NHL's New York offices.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services boosted its credit rating of Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania to "A/A-1" from "A-/A-2. " The upgrade also applied to RBS Citizens N.A., which has branches in New England and in the Midwest. Both banks are owned by Citizens Financial Group, of Providence, R.I., which is a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group p.l.c. S&P cited Citizens' improved profitability this year and the stabilization of Citizens' loan book, which includes $24 billion worth of home-equity loans from areas where it has branches.