Early in the year Hanmi Financial in Los Angeles was poised to put itself up for sale. But its deal to buy a Texas bank with operations in six states could rearm Hanmi in its fight with BBCN Bancorp and Wilshire Bancorp to be the top Korean-American bank.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is requesting public comment on a plan to gradually reduce the maximum size of loans that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase from mortgage lenders.

Nearly one in four Federal Housing Administration loans would go belly up in the next five years if another recession hit the U.S., a new study has found.

With payday loans in regulators' cross hairs, banks are looking to check cashing as a way to bring in new customers and boost fee income.

New York State's crackdown on online lenders has ensnared a Chicago company that makes loans backed by a borrower's car.

Urban Partnership Bank in Chicago is selling a branch, has launched an online banking platform and has made an unusual offer to customers.

Fiserv was supposed to post a note on the website of an N.C. bank that BNC recently bought that redirected the acquisition's customers to BNC's site. Unfortunately, the note appeared on the wrong website -- that of a nearby rival.

Sierra Bancorp (BSRR) in Porterville, Calif., has tapped Kevin McPhaill to be its president and chief executive-in-waiting.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and four state attorneys general on Monday announced a series of lawsuits against CashCall Inc., a California-based online loan servicer accused of usury and deceptive collection practices through its affiliation with the online lender Western Sky.

The Federal Trade Commission is taking action to stop a mobile phone cramming operation that has placed tens of millions of dollars on consumers’ mobile phone bills without their permission.

Zions Bancorp (ZION) said the Volcker Rule will force it to take a $387 million charge on its portfolio of collateralized debt obligations.

McWhinney, the head of Citigroup's enterprise payments division, is leaving the bank at the end of January to serve as an independent director for a Fortune 250 company, which she did not name. She said she hopes her move will encourage more women to serve on the boards of public companies.

Victory Bancorp in Limerick, Pa., and Huntingdon Valley in Warminster have agreed to a merger of equals.

Malvern Bancorp (MLVF) in Paoli, Pa., took an $18.8 million loss in the quarter that ended Sept. 30 after selling a batch of bad loans for a loss.

Colorado regulators resolved a case in which more than 600 state residents were financially harmed by a Texas-based debt settlement company operating illegally in Colorado.

If the banks do not want to divest from these fringe consumer finance companies, the OCC should make them do so. Their reputations are at risk.

The community bank says it's winning over government contractors and law and accounting firms with technology that's a step ahead of peers.

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler is alerting residents of the state about scammers trying steal bank account numbers and other personal identifying information.

Hanmi Financial (HAFC) in Los Angeles has agreed to buy Central Bancorp in Garland, Texas.

Many companies are already looking past the mobile phone to find the next high-tech payment device. A few companies are also equipping fashion items with Near Field Communication chips and other technology that can be repurposed by the payments industry.