A collection scam reported in Florida involves e-mails that appear to come from the state attorney's office but originate overseas.

Colony Financial in Santa Monica, Calif., plans to raise up to $382 million by selling common stock.

Hanmi Financial in Los Angeles reported higher quarterly earnings as returns from mortgages offset a drop in the sale of Small Business Administration loans.

PacWest Bancorp in Los Angeles reported higher quarterly earnings aided by its acquisition of CapitalSource.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has started fielding complaints about nonbank products such as debt settlement, credit repair and pawn and title loans.

Aided by gains in fee income, lower expenses and double-digit commercial loan growth, FirstMerit in Akron, Ohio, reported a profit of $59.5 million in the second quarter, up nearly 23% from the same period in last year.

People who lack easy and affordable access to traditional bank accounts can benefit from cryptocurrency services that allow them save on remittance fees, pay bills on time and stay liquid.

Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., met bullish second-quarter earnings expectations as loan growth offset a decline in fee income.

First Merchants in Muncie, Ind., has agreed to buy Community Bancshares in Noblesville, Ind.

Wilshire Bancorp (WIBC) in Los Angeles reported an increase in quarterly profit tied largely to recent acquisitions.

Lenders are working to meet affordable housing needs by extending mortgages to borrowers with a broader range of credit scores and offering loans with lower down payments. But there's still more work to be done, according to Fannie Mae's Jeffery Hayward and Anne McCulloch.

Fueled by strong growth in commercial real estate and specialty lending, Signature Bank in New York reported another record profit for the quarter that ended June 30.

Synovus Financial in Columbus, Ga., reported a rise in quarterly earnings after booking more loans and lowering credit costs.

Astoria Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., has agreed to sell certain nonperforming loans to Credit Suisse at a nearly $9 million loss.

CIT Group, the commercial lender led by John A. Thain, agreed to buy OneWest Bank parent IMB Holdco for $3.4 billion, attaching a regional bank to a national loan platform in an effort to boost profit.

Between the proposed virtual currency regulations in New York and those already established in Texas, the future of Bitcoin would be brighter if more states follow the Lone Star State's example, says Jacob Farber, senior counsel for Perkins Coie LLP.

BancorpSouth has delayed the closing of two bank acquisitions after regulators took issue with the Tupelo, Miss., company's compliance programs.

Washington Trust in Westerly, R.I., rode gains in its lending portfolio and lower operating expenses to a higher second-quarter profit.

Cardtronics Inc. is set to buy Welch ATM for $160 million, expanding the ATM provider with an additional 26,000 kiosks.

Advocates blame the securitization-financed, institutional-scale landlords for astronomical rents and poor maintenance and call for Congressional hearings and government oversight.