A mortgage broker who allegedly dumped 40 boxes of consumers’ financial records into a public trash bin paid a $35,000 civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that he violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection office said today.

Shares of Hanmi Financial Corp. have soared this week following reports in the Korean media that Woori Finance Holdings Co. is looking to take a large stake in the company through a potential equity investment.

The Federal Reserve announced enforcement actions Tuesday against Bank of Virginia.

The Federal Reserve issued enforcement actions Tuesday against Community Financial Holding Co., a registered bank holding company in Duluth, Ga.

Its numbers are still a bit wanting, but Washington Federal Inc. is distinguishing itself from the pack of recession-hit also-rans in the beleaguered Pacific Northwest.

Mercantile Bank Corp. in Grand Rapids reported Tuesday that it swung to a fourth-quarter loss of $26.4 million, from a profit of $300,000 a year earlier.

Southern First Bancshares Inc. in Greenville, S.C., reported Tuesday its fourth-quarter earnings fell 59% from a year earlier, to $152,000.

Fulton Financial Corp. swung to a fourth-quarter profit on a smaller loan-loss provision and a large prior-year writedown.

The Federal Reserve announced enforcement actions Tuesday against Bank of Virginia of Midlothian and the parent company of Gwinnett Community Bank of Duluth, Ga.

Editor's Note: Collections & Credit Risk has a 15-year tradition of honoring outstanding industry performers. In our series "Industry Champions" we look at those who have worked tirelessly to improve their field in a meaningful way. Nominations for this series are accepted and encouraged.

The government seized banks in three states late Friday, bringing the failure total in the new year to four.

PITTSBURGH, Penn. – After five robberies in five years, A-K Valley FCU has closed its crime-plagued Homewood branch.

HONOLULU – Aloha Pacific FCU has installed a new ATM at the First Insurance Center in Kakaako.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Huntsville City Council awarded Rocket City FCU a 10-year lease to place ATMs in City Hall and the Municipal Justice and Public Safety Center.

EL SERENO, Calif.-The match was perfect, according to the owner of a coffee shop that had lost its lease-a credit union looking for a branch location and a charter school seeking an alternative revenue stream.

The financial services industry has witnessed mergers and acquisitions of the country’s largest banks, the collapse of some of the most trusted financial icons, the mortgage meltdown and government bailouts - namely TARP. All of this has taken place in the past 18 month.

The government seized banks in three states late Friday, bringing the failure total in the new year to four.

Capitol Bancorp Ltd. continued its selling spree, on Friday announcing its 10th deal since May.

Pacific Capital Bancorp Inc. has completed the sale of its tax division to a private-equity firm but said it is "highly unlikely" that the deal would let its tax-preparation partners offer more tax loans this year.

Quick Collect Inc., a collection agency in Portland, Ore., did not violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) while trying to collect from a consumer, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled this week. The decision upheld an opinion issued by a U.S. District Court judge in Washington.