Ohio regulators announced the filing of a lawsuit Friday against Buffalo, N.Y. collection agency Rotech Holdings Ltd. for allegedly harassing and misleading Ohio residents.

Confidence in the U.S. economy appears to be rising amid low gas prices and a strong dollar as Americans stepped up their borrowing pace in September, according the the Federal Reserve’s G.19 consumer credit report.

IMGCAP(1)]

The unprecedented accommodative interest rate environment has spurred banks to offer long-term loans at very low rates of return, and if the cost of funds goes up — especially if it goes up more dramatically than expected — it could put depository institutions in a tough position.

Sometimes it's for the best to end a complicated relationship. At least that's the view of some bankers who have negotiated early terminations of their FDIC loss-sharing agreements.

Meta Financial Group in Sioux Falls, S.D., has promoted Cindy Smith to the newly created position of head of technology and operations.

First Guaranty Bancshares in Hammond, La., has decided to again test the market for an IPO. The $1.4 billion-asset company in December postponed a stock offering that would have raised around $65 million, as concerns mounted about the impact the slide in oil prices would have on the bank.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's implementation of the statute banning "abusive" conduct through enforcement action instead of rulemaking is not sustainable.

Evans Bancorp in Hamburg, N.Y., said that its chief financial officer has left to pursue other interests.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $81.6 million to settle a federal investigation into its alleged failure to properly notify homeowners of increases in their mortgage payments.

Puget Sound Bank in Bellevue, Wash., is preparing to form a holding company.

Incommons Bank in Mexia, Texas, has agreed to buy two branches from Allegiance Bancshares in Houston.

PRA Group reported third-quarter revenue of $229.4 million, a 4% drop that fell far short of 9% growth expectations. The debt-buying giant’s net income dropped by nearly two-thirds from year-ago levels.

Borrowing by U.S. small businesses increased overall growth in September, according to the Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index.

Florida overturned a ban on credit card surcharges on the grounds that it violates merchants' free speech. Some lawyers doubt that this unusual strategy has legs, but it has worked in a surprising number of courts.

EnerBank USA in Salt Lake City has chosen Charlie Knadler to succeed Louise Kelly as president and chief executive after her retirement next month.

National Bank Holdings in Greenwood Village, Colo., has filed an application to convert NBH Bank from a national association to a Colorado state-charted bank.

Fannie Mae was affected by the same derivatives accounting mismatch that led to Freddie Mac's first quarterly loss in four years. But its bulk and balance sheet provided enough cushion for the larger of the two government-sponsored enterprises to post a profit for the third quarter.

Automobile lending reached its highest level ever at the end of the third quarter while showing few signs of credit weakness, the credit bureau Experian reported Wednesday.