Banks are still holding on to scores of delinquent mortgages that date to the real estate crash, but a surge in home values across the country is motivating them to move the most troublesome loans off their books more quickly.

First Sound Bank in Seattle has recruited chief financial and administrative officers from rival banks.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt stopped short of calling for Treasury to recapitalize the government-sponsored enterprises, but said "something needs to be done" before they run out of capital.

Centrue Financial in Ottawa, Ill., has been released from an enforcement action that had prohibited the company from paying dividends without regulatory approval.

A group of defendants have settled FTC charges that they provided scammers with hundreds of thousands of consumers’ sensitive personal information – including Social Security and bank account numbers.

Advia Credit Union in Parchment, Mich., has agreed to buy Mid America Bank in Janesville, Wis. The $1.2 billion-asset Advia did not say what it will pay for the $84 million-asset Mid America.

Mondo, a U.K. challenger bank, plans to make it easy for customers to use financial products and services from other companies. Rather than giving away the store, the bank says this approach will make it a marketplace.

Mortgage servicers are actively discussing with regulators how current rules could be streamlined, and future rules could be shaped, to minimize costs and hassles.

Lenders are still holding on to scores of delinquent mortgages that date to the real estate crash, but a surge in home values across the country is motivating them to move the most troublesome loans off their books more quickly.

There is a widening gap between the premiums paid for bigger institutions and those of smaller community banks. Economies of scale, scarcity value and earnings potential are more important than ever, and a return of larger acquirers has increased demand for bigger sellers.

The Mortgage Bankers Association increased its 2016 industry originations forecast to $1.48 trillion from its January projection of $1.38 trillion to reflect market turmoil that has held interest rates down.

Freddie Mac on Thursday reported strong fourth quarter and year-end profits driven by a surge in demand for both home purchase and apartment loans.

WASHINGTON — A public interest coalition is calling on bank regulators to declare the drinking water contamination in Flint, Mich., a "disaster" and encourage lenders from around the country to extend credit to the area in order to counteract the damage.

Troubled loans no longer overwhelm the market, but there could be smaller outbreaks that servicers must be ready to deal with, a real estate services vendor says.

Freedom Bank of Virginia in Fairfax has named to its board a consultant to a fund that recently invested in the bank.

Correcting misperceptions about banking, in addition to focusing on recruitment efforts, will help fix an apparent rupture in the talent pipeline.

Josh Hinkel, a partner with Bain & Co., discusses the rise of shareholder activism in financial services – and how "aggressive" investors are driving higher returns.

Lakeland Bancorp in Oak Ridge, N.J., has agreed to buy Harmony Bank in Jackson, N.J.

Banks are enthusiastic about innovation that involves both traditional institutions and nonbanks, but a more cohesive regulatory landscape is needed for cooperation between banks and fintech to grow even more.

The FTC sent a summary of its 2015 work on debt collection practices to the CFPB to include in the CFPB’s annual report to Congress on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The FTC and the CFPB share enforcement responsibilities under the FDCPA.