The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently dressed down the mortgage industry for failing to invest in technology. Here are 10 tech ideas from our colleagues at fellow SourceMedia publication National Mortgage News that could improve efficiency, margins and the industry's image among growing demographics. Some might sound farfetched, but so do most great inventions at first. Dream big.

Expect banks to pull back on energy lending in the near term, as regulators step up their scrutiny of oil loans and bankers approach the business with a "different attitude," says Mariner Kemper, chairman and chief executive at UMB Financial in Kansas City, Mo.

The percentage of private student loans that were at least 30 days past due has plunged to its lowest level since the Great Recession. That is the good news for private lenders. The bad news is that the business is barely growing because the federal government continues to dominate the market.

WASHINGTON — The House approved a spending bill Thursday that would change the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and take away the Financial Stability Oversight Council's power to designate nonbanks as systemically important.

Small banks are trying to figure out how to provide the digital services today's customers want while still retaining the human touch that distinguishes them from larger rivals. A small bank in Cincinnati says it has hit on the right formula.

The $7.9 billion-asset holding company for Citizens Business Bank said David Farnsworth will start as credit chief of both entities on July 18. He will succeed James Dowd, who retired on July 1.

Comerica and Bank of America closed their downtown Dallas headquarters on Friday, amid an investigation into the fatal shooting of five police officers, which took place nearby.

Turmoil in marketplace lending has less to do with loan quality and more to do with how lenders price loans to meet supply and demand.

Fifth Third Bancorp has named Edward Robinson senior vice president and head of Fifth Third Mortgage.

Cathay General Bancorp in Los Angeles has agreed to buy SinoPac Bancorp from Bank SinoPac in Taiwan.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

The $5.2 billion-asset mutual said in a press release Thursday that Leonard Stekol had become its president. Stekol was also elected a trustee; he will remain chief operating officer.

At least eight small mutuals have agreed in recent years to merge with another institution rather than convert to stock ownership. More deals could be on the way.

ATM operator Cardtronics has expanded the roles of two executives as it transitions its commercial, operational and technology leadership to a more global level.

Freddie Mac is on track to issue mortgage-backed securities via a common securities platform by the end of this year, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Calling the crazy-idea department … a U.S. Bancorp-branded bus is more than halfway through a cross-country, social-media-tracked journey to promote community development and alter its profile. It's an example of the new style of reputation-oriented marketing being pursued by banks.

Fewer transactions are taking places in branches but banks’ brick-and-mortar locations are more important than ever.

Wintrust Financial in Rosemont, Ill., has agreed to buy First Community Financial in Elgin, Ill.

The sharp fall in gas prices early this year helped U.S. consumers to stay current on their credit obligations during the first quarter.

On the day Maurice Spagnoletti was murdered, his black Lexus sedan was full of balloons. It was June 15, 2011, the day before his wife's birthday, and he was planning a celebration.