A promoter of credit repair and debt relief services agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that he deceived consumers into paying thousands of dollars based on false promises that he could help fix their credit and debt problems. The $2.5 million settlement will be suspended because of the defendant's inability to pay.

Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan offered a gloomy view of the industry's health and said Wednesday that regulators will not hesitate to crack down on troubled lenders.

WOODLAND, Calif. – Yolo FCU yesterday said it bought property in downtown Davis, Calif., where it plans to build a new full-service branch.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Service CU said is opening another Wal-Mart branch, this one in Hudson, one of seven in-store Wal-Mart service centers.

CHAMBERSBURG, Penn. – Patriot FCU has opened a new, larger branch in nearby Hagerstown, representing the credit union’s growing expansion into northern Maryland.

ShoreBank Corp. in Chicago announced Wednesday that veteran Chicago banker David Vitale is set to become its executive chairman should it raise the capital it needs.

With four of the Pacific Northwest's larger community players warning that they may not survive, the region is solidifying its reputation as a hub for problem banks and failures.

MIDWEST

James D. MacPhee, who will become chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of America this week, has the right pedigree for the job at the right time.

Lawsuits filed in U.S. federal courts involving collection and credit issues surged in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 compared with the previous year - a jump linked to Americans struggling with foreclosures and consumer debts.

A legal battle is brewing between the parent company of AmTrust Bank of Cleveland and the federal regulators who took over the failing thrift late last year.

First Financial Services Corp. in Hendersonville, N.C., reported a $9.9 million fourth-quarter loss, six times the $1.6 million loss it posted in the same period a year earlier.

Sterling Bancorp in New York has priced its public offering and increased the number of shares the company will offer.

Gary L. Nalbandian, the Harrisburg, Pa., company's president and chief executive, said it will expand organically after its bid for Republic First Bancorp Inc. in Philadelphia collapsed.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – In its latest concession to the region’s economy, Altura CU said it will close its Coachella branch and lay off the six employees there on March 24.

The use of data and analysis in collections has come a long way. The best collectors not so long ago would rely on the magical powers of knowledge and instinct to determine the accounts that were the most apt to pay and, if so, how to best secure payment.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Consumers CU will open a branch in May in the South Kalamazoo Mall in the space formerly occupied by clothing retailer Lana’s Couture.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Teachers CU, the state’s largest credit union, has acquired land in Fishers where it plans to build a new branch.

Metro Bancorp in Harrisburg, Pa., has called off plans to buy Republic First Bancorp in Philadelphia.

Capitol Bancorp Ltd. said Monday that it has a stock redemption agreement with USNY Bank to sell its 51% interest in the $64 million-asset bank.