Banking

John Hairston, set to become the Mississippi company's sole CEO, said Carl Chaney was not forced out as co-CEO. Still, he said the departure allows Hancock to streamline operations and become more efficient.

MSB Financial Corp., a mutual thrift firm in Millington, N.J., plans to reorganize into a fully stock-owned company.

Dallas officials are supporting a lender called Community Loan Center of Dallas that is designed to allow participants an alternative to the payday lending industry that the city has long battled and heavily criticized.

First Horizon National in Memphis, Tenn., is looking to raise $400 million by issuing debt.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear two Bank of America Corp. appeals that seek to give lenders more leverage over homeowners who file for bankruptcy protection.

Plaintiffs advocating for spousal rights in existing Home Equity Conversion Mortgages are renewing their motion for class certification, citing circumstances surrounding two instances of foreclosures under interim government policy.

Elan Financial Services will use MasterCard's common debit application identifier technology when processing transactions through its MoneyPass ATM network.

FleetCor Technologies has completed its purchase of business-to-business electronic payments provider Comdata.

California Republic Bancorp in Irvine, Calif., has raised $90 million through an offering of equity and debt.

A TransUnion analysis reveals consumers are moving to different homes at higher rates in the latter part of each year, suggesting that collection agencies might consider updating consumer contact information an additional time.

Wells Financial in Wells, Minn., has agreed to buy St. James Federal Savings and Loan Association in St. James, Minn.

BNC Bancorp in High Point, N.C., has agreed to buy Valley Financial in Roanoke, Va.

Banks needs to deeply understand the needs of their customers before they start rolling out ambitious high-tech plans.

A number of credit union and bank executives have been ignoring the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cyber Security, waiting for the federal government to issue more definitive guidance.

John A. Allison writes in his new book that he feared for years that predecessors of Wachovia or Bank of America would try and force BB&T to sell itself. In this excerpt, he explains how he kept the banking giants at bay. Part 5 of 5.

Law enforcement officials in the Albany, N.Y. area are warning people about a collection scam involving an operation that claims to be from the IRS.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York said Thursday that a voicemail message stating a call is from a debt collector, along with a return phone call where the voicemail message's intended recipient is disclosed to a third party, does not violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

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A report due next week on the Federal Housing Administration's financial health is expected to show that the agency's reserve fund has significantly improved over the past year.

The Connecticut company just recaptured its deferred-tax asset, which padded third-quarter earnings. Still, some observers believe Patriot National's improved health, and presence in affluent markets, could lure suitors.