Mercury Network, the mortgage lender and appraisal management company software unit of a la mode, was acquired by private equity firm Serent Capital, the companies announced Thursday.

The company recently completed its purchase of Central Bancshares. Following a methodically spaced-out integration, management expects it will be in a special position to do more deals in the state because MidWestOne is publicly traded.

Wells Fargo and other banks are testing the use of mobile devices to authenticate consumers in the drive-through lane. The pilot, designed to expedite service and improve security, serves as the latest example of a growing trend: preordering banking services via digital devices.

The Patriot Center at George Mason University is about to be renamed EagleBank Arena.

One more quick illustration of why bank customers and regulators are demanding that the U.S. move to a real-time payments system.

Trans Pacific National Bank in San Francisco has named ex-Chicago banker Bob Lussier its president and chief executive.

Elmira Savings Bank in New York has repurchased a warrant from the federal government that had been issued as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program during the financial crisis.

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced Thursday the introduction of a newly expanded Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act, legislation aimed at curbing the number of abandoned foreclosed homes, also known as zombie foreclosures.

Fannie Mae, the mortgage-finance company operating under U.S. conservatorship, will pay the Treasury Department $1.8 billion after reporting net income of $1.9 billion for the first quarter.

The regulators have spelled it out: If a bank wants relief from onerous compliance requirements, a path to get there is to use simple, basic practices for credit risk management.

Bank of the Ozarks in Little Rock, Ark., has agreed to buy Bank of the Carolinas in Mocksville, N.C.

Debt-buying giant PRA Group on Wednesday reported strong first-quarter gains.

Ocwen Financial failed a test to determine whether it had notified borrowers of missing or incomplete documents for loan modifications in a timely manner, according to the national mortgage settlement monitor.

Internal Revenue Service examiners are conducting bank-like exams of virtual currency firms for possible anti-money laundering violations, Financial Crime Enforcement Network Director Jennifer Shasky Calvery said May 6.

Since fraud liability shifts to the least compliant party after the network-mandated EMV migration dates, it is critical that financial institutions migrate all channels, including ATMs.

Farmers Capital Bank in Frankfort, Ky., will repurchase the rest of its outstanding preferred stock.

QCR Holdings in Moline, Ill., will sell 2.8 million shares in a public offering.

The Boston and San Francisco Home Loan banks are poised to join the MPF Direct program, which allows FHLB members to sell jumbo loans to Redwood Trust.

Companies like OnDeck and Lending Club are under pressure to keep finding new borrowers, but there are signs that customer acquisition costs are rising amid heavier competition.

Naugatuck Valley Financial in Naugatuck, Conn., has been freed from a regulatory order.