As 2012 begins, the California Department of Real Estate is still warning consumers to be wary of promises for loan modification, mortgage relief and foreclosure rescue scams as fraudsters to continue prey on vulnerable, financially stressed homeowners.

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A number of analysts and attorneys are convinced that smaller banks will feel the effects of new rules associated with the Dodd-Frank Act.

Publicly traded REIT Two Harbors Investment Corp. is laying the groundwork for a $200 million jumbo MBS deal, partnering with Barclays Bank PLC.

The economy may be crawling back to normal in some sectors, but credit card industry revenue continues to fall, according to one longtime observer.

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PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles has completed its acquisition of a specialty equipment leasing company from Meridian Bank in Wickenburg, Ariz., for $35 million in cash.

A judge in New York state court Tuesday delivered an important ruling in favor of mortgage-bond insurers in a case over mortgage-backed securities Countrywide Financial had insured by MBIA.

CoBank in Denver has completed its merger with U.S. AgBank in Wichita, Kan., creating an $85 billion cooperative bank in the Farm Credit System.

Three small banks that recently waved the white flag detail why it was better to sell now, take some stock in a bigger company and stop a losing battle for capital and market share. Their proxy filings are a preview of coming attractions.

Fearless forecasts for consumer finance and bank technology in the new year.

Citi's new Facebook application moves the ball forward for banks that want to combine social media with banking activity, but it also raises concerns about privacy and security of consumer data.

Recently, after giving a speech to a banker group that skewed rather young, the bank's head recruiter offered me a ride to the airport. Along the way, she told me that she had paid special attention during my presentation to the reactions of their newer hires in the audience.

JPMorgan Chase's securities unit has been hit with two separate lawsuits in recent days — by MassMutual and U.S. Bancorp — alleging that it misled investors about the quality of mortgage-backed securities it sold at the height of the housing boom.

1st Capital Bank in Monterey, Calif., said Tuesday that it has selected First Data for its online banking services.

VeriFone announced Tuesday that it completed its acquisition of the Northern European payment and gateway services provider Point.

University Bancorp Inc. in Ann Arbor, Mich., has named former Michigan state senator and one-time candidate for governor Alma Wheeler Smith as its new chairperson, replacing Charles McDowell, who died last week.

Looking to move forward after recent accounting issues forced it to restate its 2010 earnings, Suffolk Bancorp in Riverhead, N.Y., has hired Howard C. Bluver as its chief executive, succeeding J. Gordon Huszagh.