The Justice Department handed down its third bank settlement under Operation Choke Point Thursday, bringing a civil complaint against Plaza Bank of Irvine, Calif., for failing to report a payment processor's relationship with fraudulent merchants.

Charles "Stormy" Greef, a partner with Hunton & Williams' financial institutions team, died March 10. He was 66.

The Justice Department has come under fire in recent months for its efforts to root out consumer fraud through banks, but Operation Choke Point appears to be gaining new momentum.

Smaller banks need to develop detailed marketing plans to reach out to cardholders, while also working with their processors to prepare for the transition to EMV cards.

Mobile wallets will undoubtedly become more popular with time, but plastic cards won't be easily killed off. We add to payment options to increase security, options and convenience.

A report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has found deceptive student loan debt collection practices, unfair and deceptive overdraft practices, mortgage origination violations, fair lending violations and mishandled disputes by consumer reporting agencies.

Coast Professional, National Recoveries Inc. and Enterprise Recovery Systems Inc. are suing the U.S. Department of Education over a decision made last week to end collection contracts for allegedly misleading borrowers.

Negative attitudes in Washington toward the mortgage industry are starting to thaw, yet devising Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's exit from conservatorship or charting the future of housing finance reform still will be tough.

Cardtronics is expanding into Poland by deploying 50 ATMs at Polish service stations and another 50 machines at convenience and grocery stores by May.

FirstBank Holding Company is appealing to young, outdoorsy and wired customers with soft marketing, including a smartphone-guided treasure hunt for free snowboards and skis at a Colorado resort.

Two foreign-owned banks — Santander and Deutsche Bank — failed the Fed's stress test. Two other foreign banks that failed last year, HSBC and RBS Citizens, passed this year.

Former senior JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive Blythe Masters is heading a cryptocurrency startup that aims to overhaul the way traded assets are settled and recorded.

A recovering economy has all but stopped talk about loan growth. Instead, bankers are now getting grilled about deposit gathering, dealmaking and, in some instances, how they are dealing with slumping energy prices.

Community banking groups have recently struck referral deals with marketplace lenders that could add revenue in the short run, but they might be giving away potentially valuable data and customers in the process.

Banks and other financial companies are engaging in disturbing new overdraft practices, violating fair lending laws related to mortgages and being too aggressive in how they collect student loan debt, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday.

Foresight Financial Group in Rockford, Ill., has agreed to buy State Bank of Herscher in Herscher, Ill.

Legislation concerning debt collectors is gaining traction in Indiana. House Bill 1358 would allow the state to reduce or take a person’s state tax return to settle a garnishment.

Apple Pay and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have a lot of appeal for banks looking to stay at the cutting edge of digital payments. But security and compliance risks are part and parcel of these innovations.

PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh may have to pay $390 million, including $35.5 million in punitive damages, for the role an acquisition had allegedly played in a major fraud scheme.