EMEA

Ocwen Financial has agreed to pay $150 million to New York regulators to settle allegations that it fudged foreclosure documents and said Monday that its founder and, executive chairman, William Erbey is stepping down after 30 years with the Atlanta company.

Georgia once was known as the state hit with the most bank failures. Renasant's agreement to buy Heritage Financial in Albany, Ga., is the latest of several deals where buyers have paid strong premiums to enter or expand in the state.

Renasant Corp. in Tupelo, Miss., has agreed to buy Heritage Financial Group in Albany, Ga., for roughly $258 million.

Iberiabank Corp. in Lafayette, La., will enter the Atlanta market, agreeing to buy Georgia Commerce Bancshares.

J. Thomas Wiley will become chief executive of the company's banking unit. The move could free up Joe Evans, the company's CEO, to focus on deploying capital, which could include more acquisitions.

Fidelity Southern in Atlanta has agreed to buy deposits and loans from Florida Capital Bank.

JESUP, Ga. — The $56 million Altamaha Federal Credit Union has selected core processor provider Sharetec System to provide its new core system.

A former Georgia community banker who faked his own death two years ago was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 30 years in prison for committing fraud that led to a bank's failure.

State Bank Financial in Atlanta more than doubled quarterly earnings on gains from acquisitions and noninterest income.

United Community Banks in Blairsville, Ga., reported higher quarterly profit that benefited from loan growth and a stable net interest margin.