Bankers at this year's ICBA convention in Hawaii expressed hope that an increase in loan applications — as well as some relief from pending regulations — will bode well for 2014 and beyond.

Home equity lending increased for the first time last year but overall mortgage originations in January were the lowest since November 2008, according to a monthly analysis of loan-level data from tech vendor Black Knight Financial Services.

After halting an Ocwen deal to purchase mortgage servicing rights from Wells Fargo, New York's Department of Financial Services is turning its attention to another nonbank servicer, Nationstar.

HomeStreet, the parent company of the $3 billion-asset HomeStreet Bank, plans to sell two pools of residential loans that it will continue to service.

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday published its annual summary of collection enforcement activities, stating in has brought or resolved nine collection cases in the past year.

President Obama sent Congress a $3.9 trillion budget for 2015 that includes increased spending for employment and education - and language giving the Treasury Department the ability to call delinquent consumers on their cell phones using autodialers.

U.S. Bancorp, the nation's largest regional bank, gave Chief Executive Officer Richard Davis a 5.5 percent raise for his work last year.

Park Sterling Corp. (PSTB) in Charlotte has agreed to buy Provident Community Bancshares (PCBS) in Rock Hill, S.C.

U.S. consumers spent an average of $87 per day last month, a strong rebound from $78 in January, which had been the lowest estimate in 14 months, according to Gallup.

Ripple Labs, which facilitates payments in mainstream and virtual currencies, is creating a developer portal and supporting a new accelerator. Already its efforts have made it possible to connect the Ripple payment network to websites that run on Magento's e-commerce platform.

Flexcoin, a Bitcoin bank, was forced to shutdown after hackers stole 896 units of the digital currency, the Guardian newspaper reported.

Community West Bancshares in Goleta, Calif., has promoted Michael Phlaum to executive vice president and chief operating officer of its bank unit.

Eastern Bank, a mutual thrift in Boston, can only offer cash when trying to buy other banks. Many sellers prefer stock, but Eastern has been able to consistently make acquisitions using its all-cash approach.

Citadel EFT, a credit card processing firm, announced Tuesday that it is exploring ways to allow state-licensed marijuana businesses to accept electronic payments from their customers.

Zions Bancorp. (ZIONS) in Salt Lake City has named Scott McLean as its new president.

Many banks are eager to bulk up through acquisitions, but most have very specific criteria in what they want and are unwilling to settle for anything less, says McGladrey's Bob Browne.

The boards of directors of HomeTrust Bancshares (HTBI) and Bank of Commerce have reached a definitive agreement to form a strategic partnership for an undisclosed price.

Guaranty Federal Bancshares (GFED) in Springfield, Mo., plans to raise roughly $15 million in an initial public offering.

Banner Bank in Walla Walla, Wash., has entered into a business partnership with wealth management firm Coldstream Capital Management in Bellevue, Wash.

The former owner of a Minnesota collection agency pleaded guilty Monday in Minnesota district court to one felony count each of theft and theft by swindle, according to the Dakota County (Minn.) Attorney's Office.