The investigation that Justice Department officials have dubbed "Operation Choke Point" was first disclosed in March 2013. The probe aims to prevent fraudsters from accessing consumer bank accounts by choking off their access to the payments system. Its effects have been felt by banks, payment processors and companies that make short-term consumer loans over the Internet, with some industry officials arguing that at least some of the affected online lenders are legitimate businesses. Here is a look at key milestones of the investigation.

Ontario Systems, a leading receivables management technology and services provider, has announced Chief Compliance Officer Rozanne Andersen will present at the 18th annual National Collections & Operational Risk Conference in Miami next week.

River Valley Community Bank (RVVY) in Yuba City, Calif., is set to have a new chief executive.

Oak Valley Bancorp (OVLY) in Oakdale, Calif., has restated its fourth-quarter earnings after discovering that it made an error accounting for a common stock dividend.

While big banks are trying to recruit more employees with engineering and technology expertise, they are often losing out to startups and tech giants like Facebook and Google. American Banker editors discuss the perks, better compensation and cultural changes that banks would need to offer to get ahead in the war for talent.

Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC) in Green Bay, Wis., seems poised to make acquisitions.

International Bitcoin businesses have been sizing up the African market for some time, but they face massive regulatory hurdles throughout much of the continent.

Details in recent legislation unveiled by Sens. Tim Johnson and Mike Crapo are stoking fresh concerns among Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shareholders now embroiled in lawsuits over their share of profits from the mortgage giants.

Westfield Bancorp in Westfield Center, Ohio, has agreed to buy Valley Savings Bank in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The deal will give Westfield two additional branches and boost its assets to nearly $1 billion.

The organization that runs the automated clearing house network wants to phase in same-day payments in three stages, but backers of a speedier system say the plan -- the second such effort in two years -- still is not enough.

The number of graduates who default on private student loans will continue to decline in 2014, according to a new report from Moody's.

Collectors and compliance officers are listed among the top jobs to have in business in U.S. News and World Report's 2014 list of the 100 Best Jobs in America.

There is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes before Citizens can become independent of Royal Bank of Scotland, including the establishment of new technological, administrative and financial reporting systems, CEO Bruce Van Saun says.

Community banks are revamping branches and offering new services in an effort to become trusted advisers to small businesses. Such a transformation is often easier said than done.

A former Bank of America (BAC) employee in Massachusetts has been sentenced to three to five years in state prison for stealing more than $2 million from her clients.

The organization that runs the automated clearing house network wants to phase in same-day payments in three stages. The move follows the defeat of a similar plan in 2012.

First Commonwealth Financial (FCF) in Indiana, Pa., is bringing its corporate banking business to Ohio.

Two federal investigations into General Electric Co.'s credit card business are underway to determine if the unit violated consumer finance laws.

The number of homeowners who receive loan modifications rose to roughly 44,000 in January — up 2% from the previous month, according to a report from the mortgage industry group Hope Now.

Treasury's Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group will include a member of the virtual-currency community to help make regulations "better informed and more effective," David S. Cohen, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said today.