Mortgage banking is like the little girl in the nursery rhyme: "When she was good, she was very, very good, and when she was bad, she was horrid."

Golden Pacific Bancorp in Sacramento, Calif., has hired Virginia A. Varela, a longtime banker and regulator, as chief executive.

The Mortgage Bankers Association has already cut its forecast for mortgage lending this year because of declining loan applications and rising interest rates.

Banks should brace for smaller mergers as technology vendors look to provide more one-stop shopping.

Washington Federal (WAFD) in Seattle posted higher quarterly earnings despite costs tied to a recent acquisition.

The South Florida-based defendants in an alleged mortgage relief scam will surrender their assets and be banned permanently from providing mortgage relief and debt relief to consumers under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo kicked off bank earnings season with decidedly mixed results. Both were solidly profitable, but their methods for remaining so suggest that smaller rivals may have a hard time following suit. American Banker editors discuss the results and what they say about the industry's prospects for the year ahead.

New York state regulator Benjamin Lawsky on Tuesday recommended reforms that aim to prevent online payday lenders from debiting consumers' bank accounts through the automated clearing house network.

The CFPB should establish a working group – of banks, credit reporting agencies, other regulators, Silicon Valley startups, retail consumer lenders and others – to ensure a level regulatory playing field and to conduct a thoughtful examination of American consumer credit.

Commerce Bancshares (CBSH) in Kansas City, Mo., reported lower quarterly earnings because of lower income from lending.

JPMorgan Chase said it replaced 2 million payment cards after the breach of consumer data at retailers including Target Corp.

Better ATM Services plans to distribute its ATM-issued prepaid Visa cards through Advanced Network Inc.'s customers.

When I am ready to commit to paying many thousands of dollars financing a home, a car or my kid’s education, I will offer my business first to those institutions that helped me – a 'high-transaction, low-balance customer' – get there.

TriSummit Bank in Kingsport, Tenn., has agreed to buy Community National Bank of the Lakeway Area (CNLA) in Morristown, Tenn.

The Providence, R.I., bank is introducing the loans at a time when regulators have been lamenting the lack of options for college graduates who are locked into high interest rates.

Wells Fargo & Co., the largest U.S. home lender, posted record fourth-quarter and full-year profit as expense cuts bolstered results.

A Worcester, Mass. resident has notified the Better Business Bureau of Central New England about an unsolicited phone call involving a caller claiming to be from the FBI.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. said profit fell 7.3% in the fourth quarter after $2.6 billion in settlements linked to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme as legal costs ended a three-year streak of record annual earnings.

The Lafayette, La., bank ended its M&A break Monday by announcing an agreement to buy a nearby rival, Teche Holding. It says more deals are likely, adding to the rise of buyers based in the South.

Waterstone Financial (WSBF) in Wauwatosa, Wis., raised roughly $250 million from the subscription and community offering tied to its second-step conversion.