CARS Inc. and others in the CDFI industry hope that making financial data easier to obtain will spur more people to invest in the sector.

The most notable quotes from American Banker stories of the previous week. Readers are encouraged to add their own observations in the Comments fields at the bottom of each slide.

Poage Bankshares (PBSK) in Ashland, Ky., and an activist investor have sent competing letters to shareholders ahead of next month's annual meeting.

Westamerica Bancorp. (WABC) in San Rafael, Calif., reported a dip in profits because of fewer customer transactions and a decline in loan revenue.

Needham Bank in Massachusetts will have a new chief executive next year.

The conventional wisdom has always been: prepaid card customers will pay a fee for mobile check deposit, but bank customers won't. A year ago, Regions Bank decided to charge a fee to both audiences and has monitored the results.

New Jersey Community Bank in Freehold (NJCB) has revised its fourth-quarter and annual results for 2013 to reflect a non-recurring $2 million litigation charge.

Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK) in Little Rock, Ark., said that its first-quarter earnings climbed 26% from the same period last year, to $25.3 million, thanks largely to strong loan growth and an accounting gain stemming from its March acquisition of Texas of Bancshares.

Washington Federal (WAFD) in Seattle reported higher quarterly profit because of an improved deposit mix, increased fee income and loan growth.

Bitcoin companies are looking to win business from large corporations by offering more of the security features that traditional payments providers have long used.

The goal is to meet the financial education needs of everyone in the community — whether it’s the tech-savvy second-grader, the recent high school graduate getting her first checking account or a retiree learning how to stick to a fixed income.

A survey by the Mortgage Bankers Association points to a solid increase in March new home sales after a slow start to the spring selling season.

Comerica (CMA) in Dallas reported an uptick in earnings as the company benefited from lower operating costs and improved credit quality.

Live Oak Bancshares is planning an initial public offering that could yield as much as $86 million for the Wilmington, N.C., company and its shareholders.

Canadian payday loan provider Cash Store Financial Services Inc. is seeking protection from creditors as it faces liquidity woes resulting from the suspension of its right to offer loans in the province of Ontario.

The Social Security Administration announced Monday the suspension of a program to collect more than 10-year-old taxpayers' debts by seizing tax refunds.

Charlie Shrem, a prominent Bitcoin evangelist, was indicted for allegedly trying to launder more than $1 million in the virtual currency in a case tied to the illicit online bazaar Silk Road.

Heritage Bancorp in Pearland, Texas, has agreed to buy Nixon State Bank in Nixon, Texas.

The federal push to stamp out illegal online lending is having unintended negative consequences, an umbrella group for state banking regulators says.

CB Financial Services (CBFV) in Carmichaels, Pa., has agreed to buy FedFirst Financial (FFCO) in Monessen, Pa.