Chris Cumming

The South African banking-security firm Entersekt has joined a group of companies seeking to develop alternative methods of online authentication.

Astoria Financial (AF) in Lake Success, N.Y., is planning to redeem $125 million in debt.

Century Bancorp (CNBKA) in Medford, Mass., reported higher first-quarter results from lower credit costs and securities gains.

Fiserv (FISV) has upgraded its asset-management system, making improvements to its trading capabilities, user interface and model-data reporting.

A securities law firm has filed a class-action suit to halt Renasant's acquisition of First M&F Corp.

Wells Fargo's (WFC) home-loan unit has sold a portfolio of reverse-mortgage servicing rights to Walter Investment Management (WAC).

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services (WKL) has released a subscription-based version of its system for originating and managing Small Business Administration loans.

David Rom, who helped found the $156 million-asset bank in 2006, stepped down as CEO on April 1, according to a report published Tuesday in the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. He was replaced by Tom Jacobson, who was the bank's chief operating officer.

Uwharrie Capital Corp. (UWHR) in Albemarle, N.C., has repaid more than three-fourths of the money it took through the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Midwest BankCentre in Lemay, Mo., has warned its customers of a security breach, possibly involving its third-party vendors.

Charter Financial Corp. in West Point, Ga., has converted to a fully public company.

The Minneapolis company announced Monday that Rick Aneshansel would succeed Dan Arrigoni as the president of its U.S. Bank Home Mortgage unit. Arrigoni is set to retire June 30.

MutualFirst Financial (MFSF) in Muncie, Ind., has reduced its involvement in the Treasury Department's small-business lending fund.

The Federal Trade Commission has released an online video to aid victims of identity theft.

Heritage Financial in Olympia, Wash., plans to merge its two banks.

First Niagara Financial Group in Buffalo, N.Y., has hired a JPMorgan Chase executive to lead its new business unit for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Misys has upgraded its commercial lending software, Loan IQ.

Access National Corp. (ANCX) in Reston, Va., is shutting down a loan office that brought in nearly a third of its profit last year.

A former executive at the defunct Appalachian Community Bank in Ellijay, Ga., was sentenced to prison Friday for running a fraudulent loan scheme.

Regulators have lifted an enforcement action against a unit of First Financial Northwest (FFNW) in Renton, Wash.