The final six of 10 defendants named in an alleged “Rachel from Cardholder Services” scam have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they misled consumers with bogus claims that they would lower their credit card interest rates.

Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) in Cincinnati has agreed to pay $25 million to Freddie Mac to resolve mortgage repurchase claims.

The auto loan delinquency rate (the ratio of borrowers 60 days or more delinquent on their auto loans) increased to 1.04% in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, up on both a quarterly and yearly basis (from 0.87% in the previous quarter and 1.00% in Q3 2012).

DCB Financial (DCBF) in Lewis Center, Ohio, has been freed from a Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland order.

Banc of California (BANC) in Irvine has filed documents that would allow it to offer up to $1 billion of securities.

Electronic payments provider ACI Worldwide inked a nine-year extension to service 24,000 ATMs across the U.K. for VocaLink, the country’s payment infrastructure provider.

WSFS Financial (WSFS) in Wilmington, Del., has agreed to buy First Wyoming Financial in Wyoming, Del.

Cardinal Bankshares (CDBK) in Floyd, Va., reported a steep quarterly loss as it continues to work through legacy credit losses.

First Community Financial Partners (FCMP) in Joliet, Ill., is now allowed to manage its capital without regulatory consent.

Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) Vice President Kurt Lofrano should be added as a defendant to a lawsuit over allegedly fraudulent mortgages, the U.S. said in a filing in Manhattan federal court.

BBVA Compass in Birmingham, Ala., has taken the first step to becoming a registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Barely a handful of lenders are refinancing student loans, despite a prolonged period of low interest rates and the surging debt burden for college graduates.

Many of the payments industry's longtime veterans and new entrants started their careers in other industries or founded their companies with a different purpose in mind. Here are some highlights from the many diverse career paths in the payments world.

The Federal Reserve Board has approved a deal for prepaid card issuer Green Dot to buy GE Capital's Walmart-branded prepaid debit card business, according to a statement the Fed posted online Nov. 22.

Kareem Serageldin, the ex-global head of Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN)'s structured credit trading business, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for his part in a scheme to falsify the value of mortgage-backed bonds in 2007.

The former president and chief executive of Bank of Choice in Greeley, Colo., will pay $65,000 to investors to settle charges he violated registration and anti-fraud provisions of the Colorado Securities Act.

Bank of America (BAC) received top honors for mobile banking in an annual survey by Javelin Strategy & Research, edging out last year's winner JPMorgan Chase (JPM).

Popular Community Bank plans to bring a financial literary program run by nonprofit Operation HOPE to its branches in Harlem and the Bronx.

First Internet Bancorp (INBK) in Indianapolis has increased the size of its previously announced public offering.