Congress should amend the bankruptcy code to permit borrowers to discharge student loan debt if their net monthly income is insufficient.

In Australia, more than 2 million people, or 13% of the estimated 16 million in the country who are using credit, are at risk of credit default.

Supporters of a modern replacement for a century-old community swimming pool in the hometown of Belmont Savings Bank had a fundraising crisis, and they are hoping a matching grant from the bank will save the project.

Regulators consider bankers' timing needs when reviewing deals, but it certainly isn't their top concern, advisers say. H&R Block and BofI are learning that the hard way after being told that their bank deal will not be approved this year.

Bank of New York Mellon has agreed to buy the fixed-income firm Cutwater Asset Management from MBIA.

Federal Home Loans Banks officials and others want more time to evaluate and comment on a Federal Housing Finance Agency proposal to restrict FHLB membership.

Several banks, such as Woodforest National, operate extensive branch networks inside Wal-Mart stores. There are concerns that the retailer's new GoBank checking account could gut in-store branches' current business.

How have community banks fared with retaining market share in their traditional strongholds of rural areas and small towns? The latest FDIC Summary of Deposits shows their leads in those areas may be slowly slipping away for a host of competitive reasons.

The House Oversight Committee, which earlier this year admonished the Department of Justice over its tactics for combating fraud in the payments system, has turned its focus to the role of the Federal Trade Commission in the ongoing crackdown.

Madison Bank of Maryland in Forest Hill plans to convert from a mutual thrift to a stock-owned institution. The thrift plans to raise about $24 million as part of its conversion, using the proceeds to fund lending and increase capital levels, according to a regulatory filing.

Former "American Idol" star Clay Aiken will face incumbent Renee Ellmers in a congressional debate hosted by the North Carolina Bankers Association.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau responded Friday to collection law firm Frederick J. Hanna & Associates' motion to dismiss a lawsuit that charges the firm with operating a collection lawsuit mill. Parts of the response likely will draw the collection industry's ire.

H&R Block, for the second time in a year, is finding it challenging to get out of banking.

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The $7.8 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing Friday that it had sold performing mortgages with outstanding balances of roughly $193 million to First BanCorp, also in San Juan.

Valley Community Bank's biggest shareholder has gone public with his objection to the Pleasanton, Calif., bank's sale to FNB Bancorp in San Francisco.

BEO Bancorp in Heppner, Ore., has agreed to buy Bank Reale, in Pasco, Wash. A purchase price for the cash-and-stock deal was not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter.

Greer State Bank in Greer, S.C., has eliminated its chief banking officer position, according to a regulatory filing.

The Golden State is home to nearly a quarter of the banks on Sandler O'Neill's annual list of the top-performing small-cap institutions, a hint that the state could be returning to its pre-recession strength. Banks in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic also had strong performances.

Citigroup said Javier Arrigunaga resigned as chief executive officer of Grupo Financiero Banamex, the company's Mexican subsidiary. Ernesto Torres Cantu was named to succeed him.