The estimated number of collection agencies and creditors that were sued in the April 16-30 period jumped to 540 compared with 504 in the first half of April, according to data from U.S. District Courts.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris is creating a task force aimed at cracking down on mortgage fraud in the country's largest state, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Less than two years after it acquired Federal Trust Bank in Sanford, Fla., so it could qualify for a federal bailout, insurance giant Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. is selling the thrift to another Florida banking company.

SCB Bank is running low on capital after its management opted to set aside more than $11 million to cover problem loans made during the tenure of its former chief executive.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Redstone FCU last week said it plans two new branches, one in the City of Madison and the other in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Three failures late Friday, including a pair in Georgia, cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. an estimated $445 million.

Three failures late Friday, including a pair in Georgia, cost the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. an estimated $445 million.

After years of experimentation, some banks are finding the right mix of technology, ambiance and human interaction. The most effective formula varies, and the only constant is that there are no absolutes.

For the first time in its history, Virginia Community Bank in Louisa has a CEO whose name is not A. Pierce Stone.

For the first time in its history, Virginia Community Bank in Louisa has a CEO whose name is not A. Pierce Stone.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. and Legacy Bancorp Inc., both of Pittsfield, Mass., have agreed to sell off four overlapping branches as a condition of their merger.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Inc. and Legacy Bancorp Inc., both of Pittsfield, Mass., have agreed to sell off four overlapping branches as a condition of their merger.

Aiming to beef up its wealth management business, Provident Bank in Jersey City has struck a deal to acquire Beacon Financial Corp. of Morristown, N.J., for up to $10.5 million in cash.

Aiming to beef up its wealth management business, Provident Bank in Jersey City has struck a deal to acquire Beacon Financial Corp. of Morristown, N.J., for up to $10.5 million in cash.

The National Credit Union Administration has liquidated the Hmong American Federal Credit Union in St. Paul, Minn. The agency said Thursday that it made the move to discontinue the $2.7 million-asset credit union's operations after determining that Hmong was insolvent.

UMB Financial Corp. in Kansas City, Mo., said late Wednesday that it would pay $7.8 million to settle a lawsuit over overdraft fees.

Enterprise Financial Services Corp. in St. Louis said Wednesday that it will raise $28.6 million with a public offering.

Atlantic Coast Capital Corp. in Jacksonville, Fla., said Wednesday that G. Thomas Frankland is now officially its president and chief executive.

In the last year, Michael Brown Sr. raised nearly $330 million, bought a small Florida bank, converted it to a thrift, struck a deal for a weaker competitor, bought a branch from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. — and turned 70 years old. The chairman and chief executive officer of HCBF Holding Co. in Palm City says he's just getting started.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson's office on Thursday sued collection industry giant Encore Capital Group Inc. for allegedly using fraudulent "robo-signed" affidavits in collection cases.