Blue Valley Ban Corp. in Overland Park, Kan., has named an executive from a large investor in the company to its board.

Poorly paid tellers get a boost from Amalgamated Bank; Nasdaq might be getting a female CEO; parent-friendly business trips as a new PE recruitment tool, and Fidelity's Kathleen Murphy on the benefits of mentoring. Plus, motorcycles, sushi chefs and Stephen Colbert.

The CFPB and the New York Department of Financial Services filed a lawsuit in federal court against two companies, Pension Funding LLC and Pension Income LLC, and three of the companies’ individual managers for allegedly deceiving consumers about the costs and risks of their pension advance loans.

Eighteen marketers that allegedly cheated U.S. and Canadian consumers out of more than $7 million are banned from selling business or work-at-home opportunities under court orders obtained by the Federal Trade Commission.

Banks have ramped up foreclosure activity in the past five months, with default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions at their highest levels in two years. It's a positive sign that banks are finally clearing out all the distressed loans still lingering from the housing crisis. Meanwhile, banks remain cautious about new lending, partly because of regulatory actions.

Bank repossessions of distressed homes hit a 30-month high in July, as financial institutions continue to work through the backlog of bubble-era loans.

Planters Holding in Indianola, Miss., has agreed to buy Covenant Financial in Clarksdale, Miss.

There's nothing like a natural disaster to make people realize how important insurance is to the banking industry.

Bank repossessions of distressed homes hit a 30-month high in July, as financial institutions continue to work through the backlog of bubble-era loans.

While in talks to buy National Penn Bancshares, BB&T circulated an email to help key executives understand Pennsylvania’s prominent cultural and religious groups.

Horicon Bank in Horicon, Wis., has agreed to acquire a branch in Fond du Lac, Wis., from Baraboo National Bank.

Market Street Bancshares in Mount Vernon, Ill., has completed a $15 million debt offering.

Discover Financial Services topped peers in a J.D. Power credit-card customer satisfaction ranking, ousting American Express from the No. 1 spot for the first time in the survey's nine years.

The Chicago-based online consumer lender, which focuses on borrowers with less than pristine credit histories, is getting a boost from JPMorgan Chase, Credit Suisse and Jefferies.

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.