Banking

Debt collection held steady as the second ranked consumer complaint reported to the Federal Trade Commission, according to the federal agency's 2014 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, which was released Friday.

Bank of the West has joined the early adopters of technology that lets customers pay bills by photographing them with their smartphones, making mobile bill payment easier and potentially reinforcing the customer-retention benefits of online bill pay.

Total lawsuits filed under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act rose in January while lawsuits citing violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act fell. The numbers reverse a trend from the past three years.

Jack Hartings is a vocal proponent of reduced regulation for small banks. But the CEO of Peoples Bank in Ohio wants Washington to force other industries to share the burden of improving cybersecurity and cleaning up after breaches.

First National Community Bancorp in Dunmore, Pa., will pay $1.5 million to resolve issues tied to the Bank Secrecy Act.

Opponents of Visa Inc.'s and MasterCard Inc.'s $5.7 billion settlement with merchants over fees want access to documents that may have been disclosed to a lawyer facing federal charges in a fraud scheme unrelated to the credit-card litigation.

Fresh questions are being asked about the role of investors in the rental market and how their eventual exit may impact mortgage lending, property values and the economic recovery.

BancorpSouth in Tupelo, Miss., is planning to add a former Bank of America executive to its board.

CVB Financial in Ontario, Calif., will take a small hit in the first quarter after repaying a Federal Home Loan Bank advance.

Pamela Joseph, U.S. Bancorp's vice chair of payment services and a 10-year veteran of the Minneapolis-based bank, plans to retire in mid-2015.

Mere days after disclosing that Google Inc. purchased Softcard's technology and intellectual property, the telcos' mobile wallet venture began publicly disclosing its plans to shut down.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and from our social media platforms.

Change is coming to the credit card industry following the government's recent antitrust victory against American Express, but the next few weeks could determine how deep the changes are — and who wins and loses.

Summit Financial Group in Moorefield, W.Va., has been freed from a five-year regulatory order.

Bancorp of New Jersey in Fort Lee is looking to raise $9.5 million through a private placement.

Bankwell Financial Group in New Canaan, Conn., didn't have to look far to find a permanent leader.

The Bank of England will research whether issuing a digital currency such as Bitcoin would help it achieve its monetary policy, financial stability and regulatory goals.

Amid heartbreaking tales told by distressed homeowners and reverse mortgage holders, many community groups praised OneWest CEO Joseph Otting for spending time speaking to them and hearing their communities' concerns.

Bank of America said former Chairman Charles O. Holliday is leaving the board of directors along with Clayton S. Rose.

The Federal Housing Administration's recent premium reduction is undercutting the private sector and expanding the government's role in the housing market, housing finance industry representatives told a House subcommittee on Thursday.