Retail & Commercial

Expert Global Solutions Inc., holding company of collection industry giant NCO Financial Systems Inc., has announced a large expansion in Virginia Beach, Va.

Cullen/Frost Bankers in San Antonio has a new president.

Big banks had a forgettable fourth quarter thanks to old problems like tight margins and new ones like the collapse in oil prices, but executives who could fall back on products such as credit cards, insurance and investment banking had something to brag on.

Critics of online alternative lenders argue that their underwriting models are unproven and that a financial crisis could bring the whole industry crashing down. But while Lending Club and other startups may be relatively new to the scene, they're no greenhorns.

United Community Banks in Blairsville, Ga., has agreed to buy MoneyTree Corp. in Lenoir City, Tenn.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a bulletin Tuesday warning financial institutions about entering into agreements with third parties that share or hide information related to regulatory exams.

Farmers National Banc Corp. in Canfield, Ohio, has agreed to buy National Bancshares in Orrville, Ohio.

At a hearing Tuesday, GOP lawmakers hammered FHFA Director Mel Watt for four hours over his recent decisions to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy loans with lower downpayments and provide money to two affordable housing trust funds.

Zions Bancorp. on Monday reported improvement in its net interest margin and noninterest revenue, along with progress in regards to the Volcker Rule and its funding mix. But at Zions, as at other banks, progress was overshadowed by concerns over falling oil prices.

FirstMerit in Akron, Ohio, reported higher quarterly earnings as cost controls compensated for a decline in interest income.