Debt buyer Encore Capital Group Inc. announced it received regulatory approval to acquire a controlling stake in a management company that purchases credit portfolios and focuses on UK insolvencies and Spanish assets.

Hilltop Holdings (HTH) in Dallas has finally reached an agreement to buy the remaining shares in SWS Group (SWS) that it does not already own.

An upcoming Senate Banking Committee vote this month could be the tipping point needed for housing finance reform to actually happen — or it could signal yet more stagnation. American Banker editors discuss the political stakes and potential pitfalls as Congress attempts to change how the government supports the mortgage market.

PayStand has launched an online payments platform that allows a variety of payments modes, including Bitcoin, electronic checks and cards.

The effects of the financial crisis are still being seen in the behavior of credit card lenders and borrowers, a new report suggests. Lenders have lowered risk-taking and rates, but consumers are carrying lighter debt loads.

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman's office announced agreements Tuesday with 10 businesses that will limit their marketing of title loans, a type of payday loan, to residents of the state.

The Los Angeles companies said Tuesday that the Federal Reserve Board has approved the $2.3 billion deal.

A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison and must pay $9.2 million for his role in mortgage and bank fraud schemes.

Wells Fargo is in succession-planning mode. CEO John Stumpf is moving CFO Tim Sloan, widely considered to be one of his potential heirs, over to run the wholesale banking business, and promoting securities head John Shrewsberry to replace Sloan.

Charles M. Williams, co-chief executive of CertusBank, has quit the Greenville, S.C., company amid allegations of gross mismanagement.

Hancock Holding (HBHC) in Gulfport, Miss., has agreed to sell its property and casualty and group benefits lines of business to AssuredPartners in Lake Mary, Fla.

First Federal and Bay View are combining similar sized institutions that have complementary infrastructure, earnings and products. Though small, the deal could serve as a model for mutuals interested in keeping their charter and culture.

Ten auto repossession companies will stop claiming vehicles on behalf of title-loan companies under agreements with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Rep. Maxine Waters' plan to overhaul the mortgage finance market may be dead-on-arrival in the House, but it is still likely to help determine the fate of a separate Senate bill seen as the leading congressional attempt to enact reform.

Eliminating payday lenders would create a void that banks, thrifts, and credit unions cannot or are reluctant to fill. With greater transparency, payday lenders can become a viable partner in the small-cash market.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau needs to improve the efficiency of its program for direct supervision of banks and non-banks, the inspector general at the Federal Reserve, which audits CFPB activities, said.

Tax provision would help distressed homeowners seeking workouts and short sales from being penalized by the IRS.

Wells Fargo (WFC) has reached a deal to issue private-label and co-branded credit cards with the department store chain Dillard's (DDS).

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta has appointed Bank of Georgetown Chairman Michael Fitzgerald to its board of directors.

Coconut Grove Bank in Miami has appointed Donald Putnam chief lending officer.