Torrington Savings Bank of Connecticut has hired a replacement for its retiring chief executive.

Some banks will be leery about originating loans to the self-employed because they can't document their ability to repay, but others insist that such loans, even outside of QM, are too lucrative to ignore.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will soon begin looking beyond the rollout of new mortgage regulations this month to other markets. American Banker's Rachel Witkowski, who covers the CFPB, offers insights into where the agency is headed and when.

SmartMetric Inc. is launching a Bitcoin card protected with biometric fingerprint authentication. The card can be used as offline storage for bitcoins, but in the future it might also be used for payment.

Two private banks in Georgia skillfully used a state process meant to protect the interests of everyday investors to hasten consideration of their merger application. Some other states have similar laws.

Lenders can take advantage of a concept the CFPB missed: compensating factors. Strong credit histories, substantial down payments, stable jobs and documented incomes can offset high debt-to-income ratios, for example.

CEO Dan Rollins has faced external pressure to trim expenses. Eliminating overlap with Ouachita Bancshares, his first acquisition since joining BancorpSouth, could help him do that.

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's office is warning residents in the state about a scam involving callers telling consumers they are late on their Frontier phone bill payments, then asking for personal information and demanding an immediate payment.

The Dallas company would is seeking to buy the remaining shares in SWS Group that it does not already own.

National Capital Bank of Washington has named Robert Comstock, its legal counsel, as its chief executive. He succeeded Richard Didden Sr., who recently died.

Blackhawk Bancorp (BWHB) in Beloit, Wis., announced several executive changes.

Target, the second-largest U.S. discount retailer, cut its U.S. unit's fourth-quarter forecast and said the recent security breach affected more people and more information than previously thought was taken.

Independent ATM operators will soon have to upgrade, replace or abandon their newly obsolete machines.

Four Oaks Fincorp (FOFN) in Four Oaks, N.C., and its bank have agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle claims they ignored warning signs of a scheme to defraud customers.

Old National Bancorp says it learned its lesson from the recent defection of some important lenders from a bank it agreed to buy last fall, and it incorporated those in structuring its deal announced this week for United Bancorp.

The nation's largest bank may be dealing with a never-ending run of bad press, but analysts say its fundamentals are sound and still trades at a discount to its peers. They also predict a strong year for banks in the $5 billion to $10 billion range, particularly South Carolina's First Financial Holdings.

The qualified-mortgage rule, reduced refi activity and ongoing commoditization are forcing smaller institutions to take a hard look at exiting the mortgage origination business.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC would be open to takeover offers for its U.S. subsidiary as it prepares the division for an initial public offering this year, the unit's chief executive officer said.

Legacy Bank of Florida in Boca Raton has raised more than $6.7 million from a common stock offering.