Foreclosure filings in July — including default notices, auctions and bank repossessions — climbed 2% from a 78-month low in June but were still 32% lower than a year ago, according to RealtyTrac.

Most policymakers agree that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be unwound and replaced with a system more dependent on the private market, but cleaning up the failed government-sponsored enterprises will be a challenge unlike anything attempted before.

The latest municipal attempt to seize underwater mortgages by eminent domain is an abuse of this most awesome governmental power.

Capital One Financial Corp. reported delinquencies for its U.S. credit-card business increased in July from June, while its international credit cards delinquencies fell, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

1st Constitution Bancorp in Cranbury, N.J., has agreed to acquire Rumson-Fair Haven Bank and Trust Co. in Rumson, N.J.

Mercantile Bank announced a deal Thursday that would make it the third-largest bank based in Michigan.

A response to Bill Isaac's Aug. 13 post, "Why Payday Loans are Good for Millions of People."

U.S. Century in Florida, one of the largest undercapitalized banks in the U.S., is trying to sell a controlling interest to an investment group. But shareholders who have sued the bank favor another group's buyout offer, and they tried to get the judge to force the bank to reconsider.

Athene Holdings has agreed to increase the protections it offers annuity customers in order to secure a New York regulator's approval of its planned acquisition of the British insurer Aviva.

Benjamin Lawsky, who runs the New York Department of Financial Services, has become a top industry cop, taking on money launderers, payday lenders and even Bitcoin. In an interview, he discusses the need to break new ground while playing nice with federal regulators.

Eligible homebuyers can apply for a $15,000 grant to purchase Cleveland-area homes as part of Wells Fargo's CityLIFT(SM) program, the company announced Tuesday.

Florida regulators have fined the payments startup Square $507,000 for operating in the state without a money transmitter license.

VantageSouth Bancshares (VSB) in Raleigh, N.C., has sold $38.1 million in subordinated debt.

First Community (FCCO) in Lexington, S.C., has agreed to buy Savannah River Financial in Augusta, Ga.

The struggling Anchor (ABCW) in Madison has commitments of $175 million of fresh capital, but creditor Associated Banc-Corp (ASBC) refused to sign off on the deal, according to bankruptcy court documents. Anchor then filed for Chapter 11 to facilitate it recapitalization.

Banks recently had been competing for loans mainly on price. Now, with loan growth anemic, banks are competing on loan structure, doing everything from extending amortization periods to waiving prepayment fees.

The Jefferson City, Mo., company had a profit of $1.5 million, or 30 cents a share. It reported earnings of $48,000, or one cent per share, during the same period last year.

The Federal Reserve was given a week to tell a federal judge its position on immediately rewriting regulations setting debit card swipe fees in the wake of a court found the current rule unlawful.

First Mariner Bancorp (FMAR) in Baltimore swung to a loss as professional fees rose and mortgage banking income cratered.

The Occupy Wall Street protests a few years ago set the stage for the coming return of fair-lending gadflies like the "mother of CRA," Gale Cincotta.