A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

Fourth-quarter results benefited from banks' ongoing efforts to work through problematic loans and foreclosures, though more industry observers expect to see this activity taper off in 2014.

Former Citigroup (NYSE:C) executive Deborah Doyle McWhinney is joining the board of engineering company Fluor (FLR).

Mt. Gox, one of the largest Bitcoin exchanges, has suspended Bitcoin withdrawals because of a technical issue, the company said in a Feb. 7 announcement.

CommunityOne Bancorp (COB) in Asheboro, N.C., reported its second consecutive quarterly profit.

New technology from Apple and others can help banks create appointments, share offers, crowdsource customer service and identify their best customers, all in real time.

Clifton Savings Bancorp (CSBK) in Clifton, N.J., has received approval from the Federal Reserve Board to start a second-step conversion.

Bitcoin's earliest adopters used to launch scathing criticism at the U.S. for being the first to regulate digital currency in 2012, but their ire seems to have cooled off.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is weighing whether to vastly increase the data collected under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act in an effort to better monitor trends and abuses in the market.

Minden Bancorp (MDNB) in Minden, La., plans to deregister with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The squabbling over who is responsible for the massive data breach at Target stores resumed Thursday when a group representing retail banks rolled out a new set of numbers detailing how much the breach has cost banks.

The New York regulator questioned Ocwen's ability to handle more volume after an independent monitor reviewed the mortgage servicer's operations, a person familiar with the situation says.

Americans who buy prepaid cards from banks spend less on fees than those who buy their cards from nonbanks, according to new research from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Job and income growth could pave the way for lenders to loosen guidelines late in the year. In the meantime, new regulations and repurchase risk are keeping the industry gun-shy.

Citigroup (NYSE: C) and insurance company Assurant (AZ) have agreed to pay $110 million to settle charges that it forced thousands of homeowners to purchase expensive property insurance in order to profit from kickbacks and commissions.

The Ohio company expects to receive an additional $46 million from loans it had marked impaired when it bought Citizens Republic. Management also expects more cost cutting than it originally projected.

Executives at Magna Bank in Memphis took a chance on expanding their multifamily practice to low-income developments, and it seems to have been a good business move.

Bank of New York Mellon (BK) has named veteran banker Ian Stewart as the new chief executive of its treasury services business.

Citigroup and Bank of America emerged as the big winners in a study of the best web features at 17 banks. But lenders that primarily serve customers online are gaining ground with user-friendly tools.

Mortgage rates for 30-year loans fell for a fifth week as stock market volatility and weaker-than-expected economic reports drove investors to the safety of the government bonds that guide borrowing costs.