The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage has risen for each of the past four weeks and is now at the highest level in a year, according to Freddie Mac, and the message for many home buyers is clear: buy quickly.

Virginia Heritage Bank in Tysons Corner has begun a common stock offering.

They have spent the last few years building mass through acquisitions, but AmericanWest Bank and First PacTrust Bancorp are now shedding the nonessential parts.

The fees Fannie and Freddie charge to cover credit risk on mortgages have been surging. Large segments of the market may soon be fair game for securitization without federal backing.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is pushing Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray to tighten oversight of the collection industry, including possibly reforming the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Haven Bancorp in Hoboken has agreed to buy Hilltop Community Bancorp (HTBC) in Summit in a merger of New Jersey banks.

The nation's largest home lender is ramping up marketing of a credit card that has helped customers eliminate $50 million of mortgage debt.

McColl Partners, an investment firm formed by retired Bank of America Chief Executive Hugh McColl, could be looking to sell.

The Federal Trade Commission has sued a payment processing business that allegedly assisted and facilitated a telemarketing credit card interest rate reduction scam.

A rise in 10-year Treasury yields and a potential collapse of the bond market has many bankers worrying about exposure to long-term securities.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has sued U.S. Bank for its role in the Peregrine Financial collapse, alleging that it failed to properly handle the failed brokerage's customer accounts.

Investors, analysts and reporters have overestimated the Georgia bank's interest in doing M&A deals, chairman and CEO Kessel Stelling says.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau appears close to clamping down on fees on account overdrafts and payday loans. That's left some observers fearful low-income consumers will end up losing access to financial services many count on to make ends meet.

Debt buyer Encore Capital Group Inc. set June 13 as the closing date for the $200 million merger with Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.

While face-to-face interactions may be nowhere near the most common banking transaction these days, they continue to have an inordinate influence on how customers think and feel about a bank. We cannot afford to waste them.

Insurers and brokerages have myriad reasons for setting up bank subsidiaries, including lower funding costs and a broader array of customer services. But increased regulatory scrutiny is prompting many to change their thinking. Here's a look at nonbanks that have or are looking to shed bank charters, citing the cost and time commitment related to complying with the Dodd-Frank Act and other obligations.

With the government cracking down on digital currency players such as Liberty Reserve and Mt. Gox, many ask whether it's a move to squash the development of virtual currencies and what action the government will take next.

First Commonwealth Bank in Indiana, Pa., has hired Jane Grebenc as its new president.