The $1.1 billion-asset company filed a shelf registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission late last week that will allow it to sell securities and issue debt.

Regulatory approval of Primary Bank in New Hampshire does not make a trend, but observers are hopeful it signals a more promising near future for the chartering of new banks.

Sterne Agee's investment bank was among the most active last year, handling 18 deals. But the parent company's pending sale is leaving observers wondering what will happen to the people who shepherded those transactions.

BBVA Compass has selected Kony Inc.'s application design platform as it looks to create some new mobile banking applications, according to a March 23 press release.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, announced his ongoing co-sponsorship of legislation aimed at allowing people with outstanding student loan debt to refinance at the lower interest rates offered to new borrowers. The measure has resurfaced in the 114th Congress.

Cathay General Bancorp in Los Angeles has given some executives important additional duties.

Ocwen Financial is fighting back against a group of large bondholders that have accused the Atlanta mortgage servicer of improper servicing practices and an alleged breach of trust.

Thirteen Minnesota hospital systems reported a bad-debt increase of $15 million between 2013 and 2014 even as charity care costs - reported by 10 hospital systems - fell by about $37 million in the same period, according to an analysis by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Ocwen Financial Corp. said investors in mortgage-backed securities who criticized its servicing policies are trying to force more foreclosures.

Equifax Inc. and Zoot Enterprises announced Monday plans for the release of Mobility Plus, an end-to-end service that leverages Equifax data and Zoot decisioning technology to ease the mobile account opening process while helping to minimize fraud risk.

Bank of America will allow some long- term investors to nominate candidates for its board of directors, the latest company to adopt "proxy access" rules pushed by pension funds.

BOK Financial in Tulsa, Okla., has reorganized several management posts following the resignation of its chief operating officer.

Ally Bank, which has been known for online deposit-gathering and ads that poked fun at traditional banks, was the envy of some in the industry and a source of anger for others. But now it is looking to alter its business model as its struggling parent company retools.

IMGCAP(1)]

Freddie Mac is selling more than $1 billion of soured U.S. home loans in its largest sale of the debt. Potential buyers are bidding on three pools of nonperforming loans, with unpaid principal balances of about $660 million, $249 million and $125 million.

Peapack-Gladstone Financial in Bedminster, N.J., has agreed to buy Wealth Management Consultants in Morristown, N.J.

Ohio's largest mutual bank is planning to form a holding company to position itself for acquisitions and other growth opportunities.

Signature Bank in New York has opened a private banking office in Greenwich, Conn.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including the best way to instill ethical culture and what the U.S. can learn from foreign countries' efforts to reach the unbanked.

The usefulness of in-store branches is a hotly debated topic in the banking industry. But some institutions are successfully landing customers — and increasingly valuable deposits — through such locations.