Hanmi Financial (HAFC) in Los Angeles has agreed to buy Central Bancorp in Garland, Texas.

Many companies are already looking past the mobile phone to find the next high-tech payment device. A few companies are also equipping fashion items with Near Field Communication chips and other technology that can be repurposed by the payments industry.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday closed Texas Community Bank, a $160 million-asset institution located north of Houston.

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The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to use a case involving Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) to decide how easy it will be for workers to sue when their retirement plans lose money because of a drop in the employer's stock price.

U.S. District Judge John Gleeson wrote that the settlement will have a positive effect on competition. He also criticized the tactics of retailers who tried to torpedo the deal.

Bitcoin enthusiasts are expressing confusion and surprise after Casascius Coin, which encodes a digital bitcoins onto physical coins, halted operations after receiving notification from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network that it is subject to the department's oversight.

ATM owners and operators will watch closely and provide support from the sidelines as the new Debit Network Alliance seeks to resolve the industry's nagging EMV debit routing issue at the retail point of sale.

A group of employees at Black Diamond Capital Management are looking to buy Pacific National Bank.

A recent survey found that a significant number of customer problems take multiple interactions to resolve or are left unaddressed. Improvement in this area is critical as banks try to keep customers.

Codorus Valley Bancorp (CVLY) in York, Pa., has appointed Benjamin Riggs to become its general counsel and secretary.

Roughly a third of Fifth Third Bancorp's (FITB) branches are suited for self-service — and a portion of them will go that route in 2014, according to the Cincinnati company's chief financial officer, Tayfun Tuzun.

Lower credit losses and higher premium revenues pushed the Federal Housing Administration’s mortgage insurance fund closer to positive territory and the agency says it is on pace to reach its statutory capital requirement two years ahead of schedule.

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

Salin Bank and Trust in Indianapolis has named Matthew Fields as vice president, business development officer.

BBCN Bancorp (BBCN) in Los Angeles has hired a senior manager at HSBC to become its first chief retail banking officer.

The defendants in two separate alleged scams have settled charges with the Federal Trade Commission and will be banned from providing mortgage- and debt-relief services.

Banks lost $1.7 billion to deposit-account fraud, according to an American Bankers Association survey.

U.S. Bancorp (USB) has promoted P.W. Parker to vice chairman and chief risk officer, the Minneapolis company said Thursday.

The Federal Reserve Board has approved a delayed merger between United Bancshares in Charleston, W.Va., and Virginia Commerce Bancorp in Arlington.