Banking

The key to housing finance reform is a new securitization model that allows the private sector to price and absorb the majority of housing credit risk.

The Council of Better Business Bureaus released data showing that collection agencies received 21,576 complaints from consumers last year, the fifth most complained about financial sector.

Bryn Mawr Bank in Pennsylvania has hired Michael Harrington as its chief financial officer and treasurer. Harrington, who was also named CFO of Bryn Mawr Trust, was the CFO and treasurer at Susquehanna Bancshares, which was acquired earlier this year by BB&T.

The American Bankers Association has planned a financial literacy campaign to help seniors and their caregivers guard against financial fraud.

Westpac Banking Corp. said Monday it will increase annual investment in technology and simplifying operations by 20 percent as it seeks to boost efficiency and cut costs.

Americans had 314 million credit card accounts during the first three months of the year, the highest number since the fourth quarter of 2008, according to a report released Wednesday.

Consumer borrowing rose by $19.1 billion in July, pushing the total to a record $3.45 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve.

FNB Bancorp in South San Francisco, Calif., has acquired America California Bank in San Francisco.

Bridgewater Bancshares in Bloomington, Minn., has raised $15 million from the private-equity firm Castle Creek Capital.

Nicolet Bankshares in Green Bay, Wis., has agreed to buy Baylake Corp. in Sturgeon Bay, Wis.

Vikram Pandit knows a thing or two about fees — he ran a hedge fund and led Citigroup Inc. as the world's biggest credit card lender. Now he's switched sides and wants to help people avoid them.

Graduate business students — some of whom previously worked at traditional financial services companies — have been organizing fintech clubs at universities to explore the dramatic changes in banking and to find potential employers.

WASHINGTON – Federal bank regulators said Tuesday that they are taking steps to ease the regulatory burden on community banks by eliminating or revising certain call report line items.

Community banks could be vulnerable to increased funding costs, particularly rates tied to retail deposits. Technology, and improved modeling, could help them hold onto more deposits.

Income-based repayment, a federal government effort to relieve student-loan debt burdens, has roiled a normally tranquil securitization market, as investors can no longer be sure of when they'll be repaid.

What does a small bank do when a much larger bank encroaches on its home turf?

Brayden McCarthy of Fundera contends that unfair practices are commonplace in the online lending industry, and that self-regulation is needed to protect small-business borrowers.

Trunomi, a startup that aims to simplify account sign-ups and know-your-customer compliance for banks, has raised $3 million.

Prestige Financial Services, a privately held subprime auto lender, is looking to spark growth by offering credit directly to consumers over the Internet.

California’s Court of Appeal has blocked a class-action lawsuit against against collection agency GC Services.