Why buy a whole bank when you can snap up its choicest assets? That appears to be the thinking of a growing number of acquirers these days as they troll for select assets and deposits rather than entire banks.

Lawsuits filed against collection agencies and creditors jumped to 614 in the June 16-30 period, up from 584 in the second half of May and 500 in the first half of June, according to data pulled from U.S. District Courts.

Merchants will have a difficult time reaping all the benefits they stand to gain from a pending settlement between the two largest U.S. credit card networks and the Department of Justice, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

USAA Federal Savings Bank is giving its members in the Washington, D.C., area more access to surcharge-free ATMs through a new partnership with Cardtronics Inc.

While other regulators busily check off implementation goals set by last year's financial reform law, the new body charged with limiting threats to the financial system is getting lost in the shuffle.

First of Huron Corp. in Bad Axe, Mich., agreed to serve as a source of strength to its $246.2 million-asset Signature Bank, which has been operating under a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and its state regulator since Jan. 27.

The proposed agreement with investors in troubled mortgage-backed securities will go far in determining whether small, third-party servicers can better resolve problem home loans.

DataMotion Inc., a provider of email encryption services, found in a recent survey conducted by Osterman Research Inc. that nearly 80% of potential community bank customers want to communicate with their banks using secure email, while only about 40% can do so currently.

Cashiers now may activate entire packs of prepaid cards at once instead of swiping each card individually, through a new service First Data Corp. is rolling out.

Consumers' rising revolving credit may mean the pullback in consumer lending is easing, but an analyst warns against drawing too many conclusions from the recent data.

Home Bancshares Inc. in Conway, Ark., has repaid the Treasury Department the $50 million it received in early 2009 from the Troubled Asset Relief program.

U.S. Bank is letting customers who have lost income due to the state of Minnesota government shutdown skip one monthly payment on most types of loans without penalty.

NCR, a maker of automated teller machines, self-service kiosks and other financial technology, is buying hospitality software developer Radiant Systems for $1.2 billion.

Consumer credit rose by $5.08 billion in May, marking the eighth straight monthly increase, as credit card debt had its largest gain in three years, according to the Federal Reserve's monthly G.19 report.

SAN ANTONIO – Air Force FCU said yesterday it has opened a new branch near the Army’s Fort Sam Houston.

Union First Market Bank in Richmond, Va., announced Monday that it has opened seven branches inside Martin's Food Markets in central Virginia.

Fidelity National Financial Inc., one of the country's largest providers of title insurance, has agreed to pay $4.5 million to resolve charges that it paid kickbacks to real estate brokers.

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As bankers anxiously await the anticipated 300 new regulations from Dodd-Frank regulators have continued their assault on banking practices. Bankers have recently been concerned about the details and expected requirements regarding automated overdraft-payment programs that were initially issued last November, with follow-up explanations provided in late March.

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