Debt-buying giant PRA Group, based in Norfolk, Va., has seen negative operating leverage in recent years because of the effects of the global economy, according to Zacks Investment Research.

For an industry on the precipice of redefining what a bank is and does, there's a disturbing absence of effort to welcome more women.

Associates of Glen Falls Insurance said that it bought Loomis & LaPann, an insurance unit of Arrow Financial that focuses on amateur sports, for an undisclosed price.

Some are on the hot seat. Others are replacing legends or overseeing make-or-break initiatives — from big mergers to product expansions to tech overhauls. These are the bankers to keep an eye on in the new year.

Union Community Bank in Mount Joy, Pa., will promote its chief operating officer to lead the bank, after the retirement of its longtime president and chief executive.

A bill in Wisconsin would help libraries collect overdue book fines by allowing them to share patron information and use collection agencies or law enforcement agencies.

Branches using technology to issue cards on the spot leads to increased card usage, so banks should aim to maintain instant issuing capability with the EMV conversion.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., is looking for a new chief executive. The $4.7 billion-asset company said that Frank Mastrangelo resigned as CEO to become its technologist in residence.

Under Jill Castilla, the once-sleepy Citizens has been transformed into a thoroughly modern institution that has become a model for other small banks trying to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive financial services marketplace. For that reason and more, she is one of American Banker's three community bankers of the year.

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The first state inquiry into marketplace lending is seeking information from a broad mix of companies, including consumer lenders, small-business lenders, and firms that are not primarily in the lending business.

Salisbury Bancorp. in Lakeville, Conn., has issued $10 million in subordinated debt and plans to exit the Small Business Lending Fund.

Santander Consumer USA Holdings in Dallas plans to open a servicing center in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

First United Bancorp in Madisonville, Ky., has agreed to buy Town & Country Financial in Beaver Dam, Ky.

Dealing with late and missed payments from creditors is a chronic complaint of small businesses. A U.K.-based startup aims to attack the problem with YayPay, an automated invoicing platform with a bill-collections feature that launched this week in the U.S.

As the digital era continues to force banks to rethink what and who they are, institutions are increasingly pressured to relay their brand messages to consumers through newer mediums and in emotional ways rather than hard sales pitches.

Community bank executives are wary about the year ahead. Cybersecurity threats, the real possibility of even tighter margins after the Federal Reserve acts, and compliance woes are among their concerns.

Foreclosure filings - default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions - were reported on 104,111 U.S. properties in November, a nearly 10% drop from the previous month and down more than 7% from a year ago.

Webster Financial has agreed to take over the leases of 14 Citigroup branches in the Boston area, which would more than triple its retail presence there.

California officials have opened a broad inquiry into the marketplace lending business, seeking data from industry participants that will be used to assess the effectiveness of the state's current regulatory regime.