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• UPDATE 1-Fed's Bullard paints upbeat picture for 2013 US growth

  WASHINGTON, Feb 1- The U.S. economy is on track for a better performance this year and improving growth will put the Federal Reserve in a position to slow or halt its massive bond-buying program, a top central bank official said on Friday.

• WRAPUP 2-Mexico central bank split over rate-cut signal -minutes

  *One dissenter to January rate cut signal. MEXICO CITY, Feb 1- Mexico's central bankers disagreed over whether to send a signal that they might cut interest rates if inflation keeps cooling, according to minutes of their January discussions, released on Friday.

• Barclays CEO Won't Take a 2012 Bonus

  

  New Barclays chief executive Antony Jenkins said he will not take a bonus for last year, saying he should "bear an appropriate degree of accountability" for a difficult year at the bank.

• UPDATE 1-Banks slow crisis money repayment to ECB

  FRANKFURT, Feb 1- Banks will pay back only another 3.5 billion of emergency 3- year loans from the European Central Bank in a second repayment window next week, suggesting a whopping 137 billion handed back this week was a one-off show of strength.

• Dutch in $14 Billion Rescue for SNS Reaal

  

  The Netherlands has nationalized bank and insurance group SNS Reaal in a $14 billion rescue that highlights the fragility of European banks and the continued exposure of taxpayers five years after the financial crisis erupted.

• Will Banks Lead the Market Lower?  

  

  Ashok Shah, CIO at London and Capital, tells CNBC that banks have been given a ¿free lunch¿ borrowing at very low cost in order to boost their profitability.

• Yuan closes near 4-week low; China c.bank reacts to Asian currency war

  SHANGHAI, Feb 1- China's yuan closed near a four-week low on Friday after the central bank appeared to intervene to weaken the currency in response to declines in the yen and other Asian currencies.

• Could Europe's Banks Ignite Another Crisis? 

  

  Chris Wheeler, bank analyst at Mediobanca, tells CNBC that the big question is what state the balance sheets of European banks are in.

• Rome Court Summons Bank of Italy Over Monte Paschi

  

  A court in Rome has summoned Bank of Italy officials for questioning on the state bailout of Monte dei Paschi, as scandal spread over the trading that plunged the world's oldest bank into trouble.

• Barclays in Qatar Loan Probe

  

  UK authorities are probing an allegation that Barclays loaned Qatar money to invest in the bank as part of its cash call at the height of the financial crisis in 2008, which enabled the bank to avoid a UK government bailout.

• Lawson Urges Full Nationalization of RBS

  

  Nigel Lawson, former Tory chancellor, has urged George Osborne to fully nationalize the Royal Bank of Scotland, attacking the banking industry's bonus culture and what he says are its overrated "star" traders, the Financial Times reports.

• Doubt Is Cast on Firms Hired to Help Banks

  

  Federal authorities are scrutinizing private consultants hired to clean up financial misdeeds like money laundering and foreclosure abuses, taking aim at an industry that is paid billions of dollars by the same banks it is expected to police. The New York Times reports.

• Yuan hits 4-week low, c.bank wary of Asian currency weakness

  *Stability expected through Lunar New Year. SHANGHAI, Feb 1- China's yuan touched a nearly four-week low on Friday as the central bank set another soft fixing Of its official midpoint in response to weakness in the yen and other Asian currencies.

• The Hunt for Yield in the US 

  

  Michael Crofton, President & CEO, Philadelphia Trust Company advises investors to hold core positions in technology and U.S. domestic energy stocks. He recommends being selective in consumer discretionary and industrial stocks.

• Maria's Observation: Jobs Council Gone 

  

  The Obama Administration will allow his jobs council to expire on the eve of January's jobs report. CNBC's Maria Bartiromo shares her observation.

• Deutsche Bank Improved Its Capital Ratio By Changing Risk Measures

  

  The German banking giant said Thursday that its capital ratio improved by more than projected. So how did this happen?

• What CEOs Want From Washington 

  

  The Business Roundtable is out with a big call to action today, providing a blueprint for DC to help get the economy moving. John Engler, president at the Business Roundtable, weighs in.

• Is Housing a Best Bet? 

  

  David Kudla, Mainstay Capital Management, and Vladimir Milev, Payden & Rygel, discuss where to invest now.

• UPDATE 1-Rome court summons Bank of Italy over Monte Paschi

  ROME, Jan 31- A court in Rome has summoned Bank of Italy officials for questioning on the state bailout of Monte dei Paschi, as scandal spread over the trading that plunged the world's oldest bank into trouble.

• Olick: 2013's Best and Worst Foreclosure Deals 

  

  After improving in 2011, foreclosures ramped up again in 2012, and will likely continue to rise as banks clear out backlogs of distressed loans. More than half of the top 200 U.S. housing markets saw foreclosure numbers rise, according to a new report from RealtyTrac, reports CNBC's Diana Olick.