Foreign banks looking to buy a U.S. institution long faced tough scrutiny from the Federal Reserve, and the financial crisis has only made the process harder.

Collection agency Pioneer Credit Recovery on Thursday began a one-year contract to pursue nearly $3 million in unpaid Trenton (N.J.) Municipal Court fines from people who lost their traffic, drug or other court cases.

"Pricing will have to be changed," American Banker declared in 1977, "to help motivate banks to start such programs with their own customers."

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.

A server containing sensitive consumer information at Experian has been breached, with the records of as many as 15 million T-Mobile customers stolen, the companies said Thursday.

WASHINGTON — Federal examiners will expect institutions to show that they made a "good faith" effort in preparing for the implementation of the new integrated mortgage disclosures that go into effect on Oct. 3, regulators said in letters sent to industry groups on Thursday.

The Small Business Investment Company program may be less famous among banks than some of the SBA's other programs, but it enjoyed a record in fiscal 2015 that wrapped up this week. Stories like that of Opus Bank in California shed light on why.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau hit an indirect auto lender and a subsidiary with $48.3 million in fines and restitution on Thursday, accusing it of deceptive collection tactics.

Banks worldwide are in danger of losing significant profits in several lending areas to nonbank alternative lenders, according to a McKinsey study.

John Neal will retire later this year as president of Union Bank & Trust in Richmond, Va. Neal, 66, will step down on Dec. 31 after 24 years at the $7.5 billion-asset bank.

Emclaire Financial in Emlenton, Pa., has exited the Small Business Lending Fund.

One woman on the all-male management board is not too much to ask, especially if it can take two years (or 20?) to get there, Deutsche Bank decides; Goldman, Morgan Stanley and Citi try mending their leaky pipeline, with some success (but sadly, 100 more years of this is what we're looking at, ladies); also get updates on Mary Jo White, Sallie Krawcheck and WomenCorporateDirectors.

Recommended reforms released by the Department of Education for servicers and private student lenders are part of intensifying federal efforts to help struggling borrowers.

The First Bancshares in Hattiesburg, Miss., has named the president of the University of Southern Mississippi to its board.

An auto finance company and its title lending arm must overhaul their collection practices and provide consumers $44.1 million in cash relief and balance reductions to settle federal charges.

USAA will shift about 120 positions in its mortgage operations from an office near Dallas to offices in Tampa, Fla., and Phoenix.

A housing report released Thursday shows that buying a home was at the most affordable level in two years in the first quarter, despite the average home price increasing at more than twice the pace of the average weekly wage nationwide.

Outdated and inefficient processes come at the cost of face time with customers and weigh banks down with unnecessary expenses. Here are some of the most common problems faced by the industry and ideas about how to fix them.

The FTC's second Debt Collection Dialogue event focused on regulatory compliance and the complexities of the current collections climate.

JPMorgan Chase has paid off $3.56 billion of the $4 billion it owes in consumer relief credit as part of a 2013 settlement over marred mortgage-backed securities issued before the crisis.