Banking

Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., is expanding its commercial banking operations to lend to more midsize companies in more parts of the country.

Investment banker Jason R. Hach has joined Sandler O’Neill following four years at its archrival Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.

PHH is appealing one of the largest judgments ever awarded in a mortgage case. The dispute encapsulates many of the problems that have plagued the servicing industry in recent years.

Freedom Mortgage in Mount Laurel, N.J., has agreed to pay $104,000 to settle claims that it discriminated against loan applicants with disabilities.

The ATM Industry Association has published new international recommendations on ways to make using ATMs feel more like interacting on smartphones and tablets.

Banks are changing their approach to hiring for technology. They want people with tech experience in their executive suites and boardrooms. They also want their chief technology officers to bring a broader perspective.

Membership in credit unions has hit 100 million for the first time, one of their top trade groups said. The numbers are subject to challenge, but banks still have plenty to fear from their nemeses. Then again, credit unions are uneasy about the future, too.

Customer relationship management technology and new regulations require lenders and loan officers to re-evaluate how they manage the ownership and use of lead sheets.

Regulators should be focusing on the greatest risks to the system and the safety and soundness of financial institutions, rather than pushing lawful businesses to the shadow banking system, says consultant and former California regulator Walter Mix.

After 40 years at Comerica Bank in Dallas, John Killian announced his retirement effective next May.

The Bank of Edwardsville in Illinois has begun looking for a new chief executive, after its current CEO, Thomas Holloway, said he would retire next spring.

The guidance, issued to help licensed collection agencies comply with the Idaho Collection Agency Act, is a response to an Idaho Supreme Court decision that impacts the way collection agencies must operate.

Social media won't drive profits until banks figure out how to direct traffic to their blog and provide the kind of emotional content that people like to share, writes John Siracusa.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., has revised its second-quarter results and now says it turned a modest profit in the quarter that ended June 30.

Though leveraging credit prescreening can be complicated, organizations that are proactive in developing clear policies and processes can safely market themselves to desirable customers, according to consultant Rich Walker.

Amazon.com Inc. has launched a Square-like mobile card reader called Amazon Local Register, charging early adopters just 1.75% per swipe until the end of 2015.

Fleet card provider FleetCor's planning a major push into B2B electronic payments, and hopes to get a substantial boost from its planned $3.45 billion acquisition of Comdata.

SunTrust Banks has appointed Paul Garcia, a former chairman and chief executive of Global Payments, to its board.

Tuesday's action against the alleged bait-and-switch mortgage-lending scheme includes two companies and the owner of both of them.

The bank M&A world can be challenging for private-equity vehicles because they trade lower than some of the more aggressive traditional buyers. Talmer Bancorp in Troy, Mich., announced a cash deal last week that pushed its stock up more than 5%, perhaps helping its hand in future stock deals.