A home mortgage lender that previously settled Federal Trade Commission charges of discriminatory lending will have to hire an outside consultant to make sure it does not illegally charge higher prices to African-American and Hispanic consumers, according to the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The general public has long held a belief that the collection industry is recession-proof. In 2009, if not before, that belief may have been proven wrong once and for all as most industry leading companies reported declining profits and liquidations and rising impairment charges.

Two small New England banks are moving into a line of business few their size have tried. Is this the future of community banking?

The Huffington Post's viral campaign urging people to move deposits from large banks to community banks has generated considerable buzz since it was launched in late December. But will it succeed in helping small banks generate more deposits?

By playing up how they can help create jobs, credit unions are gaining momentum with their effort to increase the cap on member business lending.

Understanding that they are only as healthy as the communities they serve, banks are using their marketing prowess to help clients sell everything from burgers to bikes.

FAIRFAX, Va.-While small credit unions face a wholly different set of challenges in delivering consistency across all delivery channels, the antidote to those issues is the same medicine - a strong brand image.

RALEIGH, N.C.-More and more often, the teller a member is talking to might be miles away. That's the case with Coastal FCU here, which is using remote teller technology to upgrade its branches while managing costs.

EAST LANSING, Mich.-The headquarters of MSU FCU has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council for earning a LEED certification as a gold building.

NEW YORK-When it comes to far-flung networks, it doesn't get much more widespread than United Nations FCU's reach.

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Long-distance marriages are becoming a growing trend, as more credit unions from one part of the country are receiving regulators' blessings to acquire struggling institutions based thousands of miles away.

SEATTLE-During a CU merger, the focus is often on internal issues such as personnel and eliminating duplicative costs, but CUs often overlook the need to ensure the brand experience is not diluted.

NORTHGLENN, Colo.-Several employees of Horizons North Credit Union here work late every Thursday night to call members and simply thank them for their business, with a soft cross-sell.

PITTSBURGH-A-K Valley FCU's recent to close a branch due to repeated robberies raises a question for some over whether operating branches in low-income or high-crime neighborhoods is a losing proposition.

RALEIGH, N.C.-On Feb. 26, Coastal Federal Credit Union will close its three-branch network in the Charlotte area as part of its strategy to focus on and expand operations in the Raleigh-Durham market known locally as the "Triangle."

WASHINGTON — For the second Friday in a row, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. relied on new-bank capital to find homes for the operations of failed institutions.

BOSTON – Medical Area FCU last week said it is opening a lending center in Boston's low-income Dorchester neighborhood today.

Glacier Bancorp Inc. of Kalispell, Mont., said Friday that its fourth-quarter net earnings fell 44% from a year earlier, to $9.5 million.

Harleysville National Corp. of Pennsylvania announced Friday that its fourth-quarter net income fell 26% year over year, to $2.8 million.

The $11 billion-asset company reported a net loss available to shareholders of $15.7 million, compared with a $69.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2008.