Illinois has amended provisions of the Illinois Collection Agency Act, including removing language about debt collectors and raising the maximum civil penalty for unlicensed practices.

Esquire Bank, a Garden City, N.Y., bank that specializes in financial services for law firms, has raised $19.1 million in a private placement of common stock.

Old National Bancorp in Evansville, Ind., has named National Guard officer Katherine White to its board.

Bankwell Financial Group in New Canaan, Conn., has issued $25.5 million in subordinated debt and it plans to exit the Small Business Lending Fund program.

Alternative payments are taking hold at a brisk pace. Now a major bank lobbying group and payment company is crying foul.

Citigroup has agreed to refund $4.5 million to global markets customers who were charged excessive fees and did not receive appropriate rebates.

AJS Bancorp in Midlothian, Ill., has hired a replacement for its chief financial officer, who resigned earlier this month.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Wednesday officially increased the target for loans purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that benefit affordable housing, but the uptick is not satisfying housing advocates.

New Jersey Community Bank's chairman has resigned, less than four months after he quit as chief executive of the Freehold bank.

M&T Bank's president and chief operating officer, Mark Czarnecki, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and plans to remain in his role at the bank while he gets treatment, the Buffalo News reported.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ordered Springstone Financial LLC to provide $700,000 in relief to victims of allegedly deceptive credit enrollment tactics.

Avidia Bank of Hudson, Mass. has contracted payments technology company FIS to offer card-free ATM transactions through a mobile app.

The global loan platforms present an extreme example of the ongoing clash between the fast-moving financial technology sphere and the staid world of financial regulation.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Springstone Financial, acquired last year by Lending Club, misled borrowers into thinking loans carried zero interest.

For some husbands and wives, wedded bliss extends beyond home and family. These dynamic duos run banks together, and their institutions share something else in common: consistent, high performance.

Depositors at mutuals in Ohio and Massachusetts have approved measures making it more difficult for their institutions to convert to stock ownership. Still, many industry observers believe the mutual industry is poised for more consolidation.

Heritage Oaks Bancorp in Paso Robles, Calif., has named Jason Castle chief financial officer, following CFO Lonny Robinson's resignation after grooming him for the job.

The U.S. trustee who oversees the bankruptcy case filed by Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. said the case should be dismissed because the financial condition of the hospital is too far gone.

There's good reason to be wary of government data collection. But not all government data collection is problematic. The facts about particular government data collection programs matter.

Heartland Bancorp in Bloomington, Ill., has agreed to buy National Bancorp in Schaumburg, Ill., Crain's Chicago Business reported.