Banking

WASHINGTON — Medical debt may prove to be one of the complex areas that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will tackle in its highly anticipated rulemaking on debt collection next year.

More than one-quarter of customers buy a banking product from their primary bank's competitors. Can banks use mobile technology to sell more effectively and stem the tide?

Dan Rollins' ability to have a BSA-related consent order removed and get two acquisitions back on track could embolden more big community banks to pursue deals next year.

A federal bankruptcy court has approved the sale of PNA Bank in Chicago.

Fairmount Bancorp in Baltimore seems poised to face a proxy battle next year from activist investor Joseph Stilwell.

As the real estate market ramps back up, lenders are looking for ways to diversify their portfolios, even if the returns are slim.

Two electronic document management software companies — Axacore, Inc. based in San Diego and Scrypt, Inc., based in Austin, Texas — will merge effective December 31 under the Scrypt name.

Toronto-Dominion Bank's second video smash hit is the latest example of how marketing is evolving to suit digital audiences' tastes. The key to the video's success is an emphasis on customers and community, not the TD brand.

A recent study intended to measure Americans' understanding of arbitration clauses asked the wrong questions. The more germane issue is whether arbitration produces better outcomes for consumers than court and class action litigation.

Kearny Financial in Fairfield, N.J., has withdrawn its application for a mutual-to-stock conversion.

BofI Holding in San Diego has agreed to buy $125 million in deposit accounts from a unit of First Marblehead.

Doral Bank's San Juan headquarters was raided by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of a search for evidence related to "several ongoing investigations," a spokesman for the agency said.

Citizens National in Paintsville, Ky., has acquired Peoples Security Bancorp in Louisa, Ky.

A report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office reveals a drop in state funding for public universities is making it tougher for students to pay for college.

Rozanne Andersen, chief compliance officer at Ontario Systems, is named as a nominee on the 2015 Shortlist for the Women in Compliance Awards. Andersen was twice named one of the top achievers in collections by Collections & Credit Risk for her role in shaping the industry's legislative priorities.

Colorado's Attorney General John Suthers has sued two more foreclosure law firms for fraud, accusing them of inflating costs charged to homeowners.

A Defense Department proposal to strengthen financial protections for military personnel is still too weak, according to attorneys general from 20 states.

Deals and departures were common trends among bankers we highlighted as worth watching in 2014. In fact, only a few bankers managed to avoid major headlines in the past year.

Green Dot Corp. announced Monday that it will continue to sell its prepaid cards in Wal-Mart stores, which are easily its largest distribution channel, through the end of 2015.

A Defense Department proposal to strengthen financial protections for military personnel is still too weak, according to attorneys general from 20 states.