Stephen Platt, a forensic investigations consultant and author of Criminal Capital: How the Finance Industry Facilitates Crime, explains why bank directors' fear of revealing their ignorance is dangerous for financial institutions.

The FTC has issued a complaint against a Texas-based debt collection operation and its current and former principals for threatening consumers with false claims that unless they pay a debt, they will face legal action or wage garnishment.

United Community Banks in Blairsville, Ga., reported higher quarterly profit because of loan growth and higher fee revenue.

TD Bank is deploying "smart" automated teller machines in four Canadian branches.

Julian Castro, secretary of housing and urban development, said 2015 will be a year of "housing opportunity" as the economy continues its rebound.

Ocwen Financial Corp. named two new members to its board of directors as the nonbank servicer works to repair its image in the eyes of regulators and investors.

Saco & Biddeford Savings in Saco, Maine, has a new president.

U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis reported higher quarter earnings as revenue growth outpaced higher expenses.

The total balance of auto loans reached $975 billion in December, representing 33.2% of total outstanding non-mortgage consumer debt, according to the latest Equifax Inc. National Consumer Credit Trends Report.

A Tampa Bay, Fla. couple, harassed by Bank of America over their delinquent mortgage payments, recently won a $1 million default judgment in a collection lawsuit.

Standard & Poor's agreed to pay $20 million and halt part of its commercial-mortgage bond business for a year to settle claims by two states that it altered its criteria for rating eight deals to win business

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati reported a drop in fourth-quarter profit on lower interest income from lending, and from decreased fees from mortgage banking.

To help Spanish-speaking consumers understand their rights when dealing with debt collectors, the Federal Trade Commission has created a Spanish-language graphic novel, Cobradores de Deuda

Cathay General Bancorp in Los Angeles has agreed to buy Asia Bancshares in New York.

Fulton Financial in Lancaster, Pa., reported lower quarterly earnings that reflected the costs of complying with a regulatory order.

Pioneer Federal Credit Union in Mountain Home, Idaho, has deployed video teller technology to its ATMs.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has finalized tweaks to a mortgage disclosure rule set to take effect later this year.

The digital-only offshoot of Customers Bank combines edgier technology — like letting consumers snap photos of their driver's license to open accounts — with a new business model that counts on interchange revenue rather than fees.

The industry is breathing a little easier now that the Supreme Court declined to hear a case that merchants hoped would lead to even lower debit interchange fees.

BBVA and USAA are among a group of participants in a $75 million investment in the Bitcoin wallet provider Coinbase, an unusual move given the cool posture most financial institutions have taken toward virtual currency.