The market for the serving underbanked customers expanded last year, mostly due to a rising demand for subprime auto loans, the Center for Financial Services Innovation said Thursday.

Paul Camp, a veteran of JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank, has joined the digital-currency consumer finance company Circle Internet Financial as the startup's new chief financial officer.

Renasant Corp. in Tupelo, Miss., has agreed to buy Heritage Financial Group in Albany, Ga., for roughly $258 million.

Whether the startup's pricey valuation makes sense depends on whether you view it primarily as a tech firm or a financial company. And the answer to that question has big implications for the broader financial services world.

The spending package unveiled Tuesday would end Department of Veterans Affairs guarantees on larger loans starting Jan. 1.

Thirteen U.S. senators, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent a letter to the Department of Education this week calling for it to use its authority to discharge federal student loans for students who attend colleges that break the law.

The Rural Housing Service, an agency within the Department of Agriculture, is working to speed up loan processing and make other changes to boost lending in rural communities.

Monterey Credit Union could be the first credit union to convert since mid-2013. Management hopes the move will allow it to make more small-business loans, while providing greater access to capital.

Porter Bancorp in Louisville, Ky., is rearranging some of its capital with an eye toward improving common equity and perhaps making its pursuit of additional funds easier.

Banks need to showcase a reputable culture — and competitive compensation packages — to seal the deal with top talent.

A report from the Department of Health and Human Services outlines the affordable options for consumers who use the Health Insurance Marketplace, including detailing savings on premiums for returning consumers who renew or change their insurance plans.

ViewPoint Financial is on the verge of finalizing its $300 million acquisition of LegacyTexas Group, a deal that was delayed two times.

The national mortgage delinquency rate will be 2.51% in 2015, the lowest mark since the start of the recession in the third quarter of 2007, according to a TransUnion forecast.

Anchor Bancorp in St. Paul, Minn., has agreed to buy VFSC in Eden Prairie, Minn.

Colorado's interest rate cap on payday lending has successfully brought down costs for borrowers, but the state continues to experience unacceptably high default rates.

The Small Business Administration has introduced a new online credit scoring tool that can be used for most of its small business loans of $350,000 or less.

Earlier opposition to the idea appears to have eased in the wake of a new proposal that would use interbank fees to cover the cost of technological upgrades.

Activist investor Joseph Stilwell is threatening to fight yet another proxy battle against Harvard Illinois Bancorp.

Deborah Wright, who is set to retire as Carver's CEO at year-end, says the New York bank is preparing new products to reach underserved parts of the city. While she says community development banks should merge, Carver has no immediately plans to roll them up.

NCR Corp. has installed what it calls the first-ever automated teller machine in Somalia.