Banking

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a division of the Treasury Department, has assessed a $1 million civil penalty against MoneyGram International's former chief compliance officer.

Disciplined pursuit of acquisitions and efficient management of a complex business model have earned Mick Blodnick, the retiring CEO of Montana's largest bank, a spot as one of American Banker's three community bankers of the year.

WASHINGTON - One day a mobile phone giant, the next day a furniture store catering to military service members.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau joined two attorneys general in an enforcement action against Freedom Stores for how it collected debts from service members.

Northrim Bancorp in Anchorage, Alaska, has promoted Joe Beedle to president and chief executive.

Because of a regulatory quirk, Lending Club and its competitors depend on banks to issue their loans. The set-up raises questions about the regulatory outlook for the fast-growing marketplace lending sector.

The former Astoria chief, who died Sunday, took Astoria from a sleepy mutual to the fifth-biggest publicly traded thrift in New York. Engelke was also know for freely speaking his mind while maintaining strong relationships with fellow bankers.

Engine, an industry group for startup businesses, sent an open letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this week requesting action on the crowdfunding provision within 2012's JOBS Act passed by Congress.

Collecting and verifying information about corporate customers is a long, often painful process for banks and clients. Now a number of organizations are aiming to solve the problem with registries that do the low-level grunt work on banks' behalf. But skeptics wonder whether regulators will bless the idea—and if banks are willing to put aside their rivalry for a common purpose.

Citizens Security Bank in Bixby, Okla., will change its name in March to Mabrey Bank, taking on the last name of the family that owns and manages the bank.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is keeping up the drumbeat on the importance of managing interest rate risk.

The $1.3 billion-asset company said in a press release that Thomas Cherry will succeed Larry Dillon, who will remain chairman and chief executive. The company added that Cherry is expected to eventually succeed Dillon as CEO.

New York financial regulator Benjamin Lawsky revised his proposal for policing virtual-currency companies to eliminate some rules that Silicon Valley claimed would crush the fledgling industry.

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati has named an executive of the Cincinnati Bengals football team to its board.

An audit of Cheyney University in Pennsylvania found the school's financial status has deteriorated in the past five years, partly because of failed collection efforts. Bad debt increased 348% since 2010.

One of the defendants behind a massive landline cramming operation that placed more than $70 million in unauthorized charges on consumers’ phone bills has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges against him.

Tri-Valley Bank in San Ramon, Calif., plans to raise $2.5 million through a private placement of common stock.

The $6.5 billion-asset bank said in a press release Thursday that it plans to transfer its common stock and senior notes to the NYSE from the Nasdaq.

Once known as peer-to-peer, online marketplace lending grew phenomenally and evolved rapidly in 2014, as capital flooded in from institutional investors and traditional bankers sat up and took notice.

American Banker has named online marketplace lending the Innovation of the Year. Matt Burton, CEO of Orchard Platform, explains how this booming business evolved out of peer-to-peer lending and whether alternative finance firms are competing with banks.