Retail & Commercial

The Circuit Court for Baltimore City has dismissed a class-action lawsuit brought against FedFirst Financial in Monessen, Pa., related to its agreement to sell.

Community bankers can get ahead of the competition by building strong and profitable relationships with their customers. They should start by keeping products simple and explanations forthright.

Wellesley Investment Partners in Massachusetts has named Louis Crosier president.

CBE Companies has been named one of Iowa's Top Workplaces, based on surveys conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, a research firm focused on organizational health and employee engagement.

The Federal Reserve is tracking the competitive climate among community banks, including the dearth of new charter activity. Key officials also used opening remarks at the Fed's community banking conference to outline ways they are trying to improve communication with bankers.

An appeals court chose not to revisit a ruling that a collection agency violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act when it sent a collection letter revealing a debtor's account number through the envelope's address window. The agency now can either let the decision stand or try taking the case to the Supreme Court.

Federal Savings Bank in Chicago has teamed up with West Suburban Bank in Lombard, Ill., to offer mortgage products across West Suburban's 37-branch network.

Garry Cipponeri, the head of capital markets for JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s U.S. mortgage unit, is leaving the bank to start a new company, according to two people with knowledge of the move.

There were fewer institutions originating mortgages in 2013, while low- and moderate-income borrowers took a smaller share of industry volume, according to the recently released Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data.

Mortgage underwriting overlays are not only tighter than they were precrisis, they're more restrictive than they were 15 years ago — a trend that Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro wants to change.