Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is urging legislators to investigate alleged improper foreclosure practices by Ally Financial, which said last week it would scale back most of its mortgage lending in the state.

Bank of America's proposed $315 million settlement with mortgage-securities investors will have to be approved by Judge Jed Rakoff, who last week blocked a Citigroup settlement with the SEC over securities-related claims.

Ryan Gilbert's recent BankThink article "Give Nonbanks a Nationwide Reach" is part of a massive lobbying campaign by major payday lenders and others to sway Congress to pass H.R. 1909.

A credit union association has "egg on its face" after scaling back its estimate of membership gains, one banking representative says. Another cautions against too much celebration.

Continuing its expansion in entertainment hotbeds outside of Southern California, City National Bank in Los Angeles has opened its first banking office in Atlanta.

The trend of U.S. credit cardholders putting credit card payments ahead of mortgage payments that began in early 2008 shows no sign of abating in the immediate future even as the economy gradually improves, TransUnion analysts say.

An avalanche of private equity-led acquisitions of banks never materialized this year, dampening expectations for a 2012 rebound. But don't tell that to former bankers who are tied to buyout funds.

Doing something — anything — quickly but poorly is no substitute for taking the time to do what needs to be done well.

A second independent advisory firm has weighed in on pending board elections at HF Financial Corp. and this one is urging shareholders to cast their ballots for candidates supported by management.

A bipartisanship bill seeks to give banks a new way to appeal exam results and has regulators steaming.

Beneficial Mutual Bancorp Inc. of Philadelphia has agreed to acquire SE Financial Corp.

Bank of America Corp. has agreed to pay $315 million to settle claims that its Merrill Lynch unit made false and misleading statements about the quality of mortgage-backed securities it sold to investors.

Bank of Montreal's fourth-quarter profit rose 21% on stronger personal and commercial banking results and private client group earnings, but results fell just shy of analyst estimates on higher loan-loss provisions and expenses.

Under a deal excepted to close in the second quarter, River Valley Bancorp in Madison, Ind., would pay $6.3 million in cash for all the common stock of the $82 million-asset Dupont State Bank.

Ahead of the Department of Labor's anticipated proposal to redefine fiduciary responsibility, expected sometime in 2012, 55 House Republicans sent a letter asking for more careful consideration of the effects on consumer choice before any new rule is proposed.

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Seamless Distribution AB said it believes it has developed a mobile payment method that replaces the need to shop with credit and debit cards, thus saving money for merchants who no longer would have to pay card-related fees.

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Many community banks that are struggling to grow and cannot afford to repay their bailout aid will be forced to sell, and they don't have a lot of time to find a buyer.

First Commonwealth Financial Corp. in Indiana, Pa., said Monday that its president and chief executive is retiring.