Retail & Commercial

Banks and other financial companies are engaging in disturbing new overdraft practices, violating fair lending laws related to mortgages and being too aggressive in how they collect student loan debt, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday.

Foresight Financial Group in Rockford, Ill., has agreed to buy State Bank of Herscher in Herscher, Ill.

Legislation concerning debt collectors is gaining traction in Indiana. House Bill 1358 would allow the state to reduce or take a person’s state tax return to settle a garnishment.

Apple Pay and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have a lot of appeal for banks looking to stay at the cutting edge of digital payments. But security and compliance risks are part and parcel of these innovations.

PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh may have to pay $390 million, including $35.5 million in punitive damages, for the role an acquisition had allegedly played in a major fraud scheme.

Apple Pay and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have a lot of appeal for banks looking to stay at the cutting edge of digital payments. But security and compliance risks are part and parcel of these innovations.

HomeBancorp in Tampa, Fla., has raised $16.5 million in capital.

Small-business lending will be crucial to the future of the American economy. But community banks' ability to make loans to friends and neighbors they know depends in part on a supportive regulatory environment.

A presidential memorandum signed Tuesday directs federal agencies to overhaul the way Americans repay their student loans, the latest move in a series of steps the Obama administration is taking to promote college affordability and access.