Umpqua Holdings (UMPQ) in Portland, Ore., has agreed to buy Sterling Financial (STSA) in Spokane, Wash.

Foreclosure filings fell 34 percent in the U.S. last month as first-time defaults dropped to the lowest level in almost eight years and rising home prices made it easier for distressed owners to sell, RealtyTrac said.

If you stop by bar Room77 in Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood for a beer, you can leave the euros in your wallet and instead pay with the digital currency Bitcoin—a growing phenomenon in Germany and other countries that are changing their views on the currency.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. may settle regulators' probes into the bank's credit-card debt collection practices and sales of identity-theft products as early as next week.

The agreement's architects contend that the pact could bring as much as $291 million to affected homeowners, but detractors say that the final tally is likely to be far lower.

BB&T (BBT) in Winston-Salem, N.C., has been closing branches across its network, but is planning to expand its presence in Texas by nearly 50%.

The $5.8 billion-asset Chemical has begun a public offering of its common stock that seeks to raise $50 million, it announced Wednesday after the market closed. All of the shares are being offered by the company.

Financial institutions are required to thoroughly "know" their customers and vet transactions for potential criminal connections in a way that other critical service industries are not. (Imagine an electric company quizzing its customers about what appliances they plug into the wall.) Ellen Zimiles, a former assistant U.S. attorney who now heads the global investigations and compliance practice at Navigant Consulting, explains why banks have been given special responsibilities.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is urging banks to strengthen their oversight of the home appraisal process and warning them to keep an eye out for a sudden spike in delinquencies on home-equity loans.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray sought to allay lender fears Wednesday about the agency's new mortgage rules, pledging to be flexible with companies struggling to comply by the January deadline.

Banks need to revamp customer service operations so unhappy consumers complain to them rather than to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where a complaint could spark added regulatory scrutiny.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is selling the last of the Citigroup (NYSE:C) stake that the U.S. government acquired during the financial crisis.

UMB Financial (UMBF) seeks to raise up to $242.2 million next week from a common stock offering that priced Tuesday.

The city of Richmond, Calif., is pushing forward with its plan to rescue underwater homeowners by buying their mortgages, and is leaving open the possibility of using eminent-domain to acquire loans that banks will not sell.

A federal court judge in Florida has banned the defendants behind an alleged credit card interest rate reduction scam from selling debt-relief service and telemarketing any services.

Craig Spengeman, the president of Peapack-Gladstone Financial's (PGC) wealth management unit, is retiring.

Fidelity Southern Corp. (LION) in Atlanta has redeemed the entirety of the shares it issued to the Troubled Asset Relief Program along with about a third of trust-preferred securities.

Patriot National Bancorp in Stamford, Conn., has appointed Christina Maier as its new chief financial officer.

American Express (AXP) is selling its high-end glossies to Time Inc. in order to comply with federal regulations.

Ten Federal Housing Administration lenders could be facing hefty penalties from the government following an investigation into their underwriting practices, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's inspector general.