United Recovery Systems Inc., a Houston-based debt collection agency, has purchased Enterprise Recovery Systems Inc., an agency that specializes in collecting for education providers.

Two leaders synonymous with Synovus, former CEOs James H. Blanchard and Richard E. Anthony, will not stand for re-election. Current CEO Kessel Stelling says the change will not sway its attitudes toward staying independent or selling itself.

Banks that act as trustees on collateralized loan obligations must have strong credit ratings, and the threat of downgrades has many of them too close to the line for comfort.

SAO PAULO — JPMorgan Chase & Co. is slowing down its pace of growth in Brazil this year, preferring to absorb its recent rapid expansion and see how the market develops this year, said the bank’s chief executive in the country said.

The investment bank has relocated to roomier accommodations in the Exxon Building as it adds staff and prepares for improvements in the banking industry and bank M&A.

United Community Financial Corp. in Youngstown, Ohio reported a fourth-quarter profit of $7.9 million, compared with a loss of $17.3 million a year earlier, after selling four branches.

A tepid economy and regulatory uncertainty together make for strange bedfellows, as epitomized by recent deals to sell two banks to, of all things, credit unions. And along with the deals comes renewed debate on whether the nonprofit institutions should be taxed.

The FDIC is holding an auction for jewelry it inherited from the failed Tennessee Commerce Bank. The bank picked up the baubles after a jewelry store defaulted.

Citigroup has renewed a long-term deal to continue issuing private-label credit cards for Citgo Petroleum Corp., the bank said Thursday.

The Treasury Department in 2010 took a massive haircut on its investment in Pacific Capital and now stands to make roughly 90 cents on the dollar from the bank's sale to UnionBanCal. It's a reminder that taking your lumps early on problem assets can be beneficial.

A securities class-action lawsuit against Wilshire Bancorp Inc. in Los Angeles has been dismissed after the plaintiffs failed to file an amended complaint in the case.

ECB Bancorp Inc. will no longer buy the deposits and certain assets of seven North Carolina branches from Hampton Roads Bankshares Inc. in Norfolk, Va., after funding for the deal fell through.

Tom Grady resigns after eight months on the job to temporarily lead Florida's biggest insurer.

The Federal Reserve's stress tests and capital decisions this week help clarify which banks can afford to buy, how much they can pay and which might need to sell.

LifeLock is betting that its acquisition of ID Analytics, which closed Wednesday, will help it better market its services to retail banks.

Discover Financial Services will have its credit cards issued outside of the United States for the first time, thanks to a new deal in Ecuador.

Two small Massachusetts mutual thrifts are planning to join forces in hopes of gaining the scale to better compete against larger banks.

Several regional banks that were also stress-tested by the Federal Reserve but whose results were not made public announced that they have passed their tests. Some, including Comerica, Huntington and Discover, plan to free up trapped capital.

For the second time in less than a year, Colony Financial Inc. in Los Angeles has raised fresh capital through a stock offering.

Regions Financial Corp. will raise about $900 million in a common stock offering as part of a plan to exit the Troubled Asset Relief Program.