The long-standing practice of banks and mortgage lenders paying real estate brokers and homebuilders for referrals could soon be coming to an end.

To shake off years of sluggish growth, Citizens Financial is going hard after asset classes that other banks are starting to back away from. The Providence, R.I., company says the growth opportunity outweighs the risk.

The agency's interpretation of a Respa rule could put an end to the long-standing practice of mortgage lenders paying real estate agents and homebuilders to send business their way.

Ally Financial in Detroit announced its second big management change in less than two months.

U.S. Bancorp has hired a former Santander Bank executive to oversee the diversified industries segment of its large corporate banking division in New England.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a contentious policy Thursday allowing customers to describe their banking experiences more fully on the agency's complaint portal.

If successful, Provident Bank in Massachusetts and Cincinnati Federal in Ohio would become the first new mutual holding companies since 2011, giving some hope that the structure could make a comeback.

Women bankers who want a family and a fulfilling career should focus on building a strong support system outside of work, or else opportunities will pass them by, according to panel of senior women executives at HSBC.

Banks charge merchants a quarter each time customers swipe their debit cards — even though the mean cost of processing debit-card purchases has fallen to 4.4 cents. The Federal Reserve should ensure that the falling cost of debit-card processing is matched by lower fees.

Countries including Brazil, Nigeria, Malaysia and India have proved that there are viable ways to find alternatives to branches, use mobile devices to increase the reach of financial services and roll out government-supported financial inclusion projects.

Target agreed to settle with more than 100 million customers whose personal information may have been breached in a database hack in 2013, among the biggest to hobble retailers and banks in recent years.

Kevin Cummings, the New Jersey company's CEO, transformed Investors to sizable bank prior to its second-step conversion last May. With $2.2 billion in capital and an updated core system, Cummings has his sights on the company's next growth phase.

Four Oaks Bank in North Carolina has named Warren "Rocky" Herring its chief credit officer. Herring had held the same job at Premier Commercial Bank in Greensboro, N.C., before NewBridge Bancorp bought it last month.

Ocwen Financial has delayed filing its 2014 results and announced the sale of more servicing rights.

WSFS Financial in Wilmington, Del., has made a number of executive changes following the planned departure of its chief financial officer.

Branch closures can prompt online blowback as community members worry about employee layoffs and stranded customers. A bank's best move is to get in front of the issue and respond directly to locals' concerns.

Hoping to deliver relief to Americans pounded by the financial crisis, the government has poured billions of dollars into NeighborWorks America, a sort of Red Cross for homeowners. But a close look at the group reveals a house in disorder — with sweetheart contracts, document fudging and unexplained departures of top officials.

The first mortgage default rate dropped for the first time since July 2014 after months of steady increases, according to the February S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices report.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Tuesday it’s adding two new topics - debt collection practices and ability-to-repay standards - to a planned second credit card market study that could lead to new rules and enforcement actions

Mortgage default rates remained largely unchanged in February amidst mixed results nationwide, according to data released by S&P Dow Jones Indices and Experian.