Banking

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider a case related to the use of disparate impact theory to charge organizations with discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. The case highlights a key problem with current interpretation of the statute: it ignores a basic statistical pattern that makes it hard to determine which practices would produce a better outcome for protected groups.

A large activist investor has given an early vote of confidence to Malvern Bancorp's new chief executive, while backing off of demands that the Paoli, Pa., company sell itself.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office has sued Consumer Collection Advocates Corp. and Michael Robert Ettus, principal, for allegedly targeting consumers who were victims of previous frauds or scams.

Shaza Andersen recently sent out a companywide email stating that employees who don't deposit their paychecks into a WashingtonFirst account will soon be required to pick up paper checks — from her office.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency closed Frontier Bank FSB in Palm Desert, Calif.

The two credit-card issuers, which have become far more reliant on retail deposits in recent years, are offering assurances that the money will not flee when interest rates rise.

WASHINGTON — Policymakers should consider changing rules that limit the amount of debt that holding companies can carry in order to exempt more community banks from the restrictions, a senior Federal Reserve Board official said Friday.

The U.S. Postal Service's inspector general said Friday that it is seeking proposals from outside groups about possible postal banking services.

A proposal to improve the way online banking information is shared with data aggregators has sparked a debate over a decades-old practice.

BBVA Compass is planning to direct $11 billion to lower-income communities. The $76 billion-asset company’s pledge includes $6.2 billion to small businesses and $1.8 billion in community development loans.

The state that forged a middle ground on payday lending serves as both a potential model and a warning sign for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Borrowers must have other factors such as housing counseling, stronger credit histories, or lower debt to income ratios to qualify for new low-down-payment loans, said FHFA Director Mel Watt.

Banks on opposite coasts — Sterling Bancorp in New York and Banner in Washington — are joining the list of institutions teetering on the $10 billion-asset threshold where a slew of new regulation kicks in. The banks' CEOs said they were finally able to peg the expected costs of reaching that size.

Hilltop Holdings in Dallas has disclosed that its mortgage unit is under federal investigation in connection with underwriting practices for loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration.

Hanmi Financial in Los Angeles reported higher quarterly earnings as organic loan growth and an acquisition offset significant margin pressure.

Debt buyer Encore Capital Group Inc. reported Thursday that total revenues in the third quarter ended Sept. 30 increased 16% to a record $273.3 million, compared to $235.6 million in the year-ago period.

Every day, debt collectors deal with people who have found themselves in tough and sensitive financial situations.

Three Colorado law firms accused of inflating foreclosure costs charged to homeowners and padding bills with unauthorized expenses agreed Thursday to settle lawsuits filed by outgoing Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.

Disaffected big bank customers are looking for a reason to switch. Community banks and credit unions should take advantage of this opportunity with a collective ad campaign that positions their institutions as friendly, helpful and morally upright alternatives to major lenders.

U.S. and European agencies shut down 410 hidden web domains, arrested 17 suspects and seized bitcoins worth about $1 million in a joint operation targeting the Tor network, which allows people to use the Internet anonymously.