MB Financial in Chicago reported a sharp rise in quarterly earnings in its first full quarter following the acquisition of Taylor Capital.

National Bank Holdings in Greenwood Village, Colo., has finally returned to the acquisition game, by agreeing to buy Pine River Bank in Bayfield, Colo.

The move likely foreshadows the market impact of proposed regulations requiring prepaid card issuers to assess consumers' ability to repay before extending credit.

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 from social media platforms and the blogosphere.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against a judge in Georgia and Judicial Correction Services, claiming the private company's debt collection practices led to poor people being jailed because they couldn't pay.

Great Western Bancorp in Sioux Falls, S.D., reported lower profit in its first quarter since completing its initial public offering.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., reported a quarterly loss as it racked up higher expenses to resolving anti-money laundering issues.

Two car title lenders settled Federal Trade Commission charges requiring them to stop using deceptive advertising to market title loans. The complaints mark the first time the FTC has taken action against car title lenders.

Two Republican legislators have suggested that affordable housing funding should be put on hold until Congress finally decides what to do about Fannie and Freddie. But why give Congress another six years to fiddle around with housing finance while the poor and homeless face a declining level of government housing assistance?

Community & Southern Holdings in Atlanta has agreed to buy Community Business Bank in Cumming, Ga.

MasterCard Inc., the second-largest U.S. payments network, posted fourth-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates as customer spending climbed.

The ability of Somali-Americans to send cash home to their relatives is again in peril after a California bank decided to stop facilitating the money transfers, according to a foreign aid organization that has been monitoring the situation.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday proposed a series of regulatory relief measures for small institutions, especially those in rural areas, to help them provide credit while they try to follow the agency's tough mortgage rules.

Federal Reserve officials suggested that anonymous payments and the technologies powering digital currencies could inform broader plans for reshaping the U.S. payment system.

TCF Financial took $44 million in charges to rid itself of mortgages made before the housing collapse. A distressed-asset investor purchased more than $400 million in loans from the company, and another pool of bad mortgages may be marked for sale soon.

In yet another revision of its mortgage rules, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed making it easier for small and rural lenders to make "qualified mortgages." Industry representatives said the changes are poised to make a big difference.

Visa, the world's largest payments network, posted fiscal first-quarter profit that beat analysts' estimates as card spending increased. The company announced a 4-for-1 stock split.

Green Dot reported a net loss in the fourth quarter as it spent money to diversify beyond its flagship prepaid card business.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to review loan modifications offered by private student lenders, a business that the agency has said victimized some borrowers with subprime-style debt.

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department has exceeded its authority by keeping Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in conservatorship so long and taking all their profits, two legislative experts said Thursday.