Banking

The U.S. Department of Education named ConServe, formally known as Continental Service Group Inc., as the top performing private collection agency on the department's contract for the first quarter ending March 31.

Harvard Illinois Bancorp (HARI) has extended its string of victories against activist investor Joseph Stilwell.

Regions Bank misled a Mobile, Ala., sewer company about the riskiness of several swaps transactions and must pay $7.4 million in compensation, an arbitration panel has found.

DUMFRIES, Va. — A credit union to serve professional and amateur athletes, and their families, has received preliminary charter approval from NCUA, according to the CU's organizer.

Avalara Inc. has launched a Bitcoin module for its AvaTax compliance engine to help merchants who accept Bitcoin manage their taxes.

Bankruptcy filings helped delinquent homeowners reduce the likelihood of a foreclosure auction by 70%, researchers have found.

Five years after the enactment of major reforms to the U.S. credit-card market, industry opposition has quietly faded into acceptance. Bankers certainly aren't celebrating the 2009 legislation, but they're not condemning it, either.

The controversial Benham brothers blasted SunTrust for canning them as foreclosed-property vendors because they made anti-gay comments, but then the Atlanta bank said it was a misunderstanding and reinstated them. Now, they are trying to turn their 15 minutes of fame into a new business enterprise.

The retail banking giant is planning to install video terminals in roughly 500 branches over the next two years, mostly in locations where foot traffic cannot justify the cost of having specialists on site. The rollout is likely to be watched closely by other banks that are looking to reduce overhead but don't want to miss out on sales opportunities.

More community banks have begun offering SBA loans nationwide, a smart strategy given improving demand and double-digit premiums in the secondary loan market. Banks moving into far-flung territories have determined that they need highly targeted strategies to be successful — as well as methods for minimizing risk.

Eastern Virginia Bankshares (EVBS) of Tappahannock, Va., said Thursday that it intends to repay $15 million of its Troubled Asset Relief Program aid by late in the second quarter.

David Malone, former CEO of Community Bank in Pasadena, Calif., was appointed to BBCN's board, which expanded to 11 members.

JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo are retaining more high-quality, conforming mortgages that they would normally sell to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, raising concerns that the banks are adversely selecting the weakest loans for the government-sponsored enterprises.

A report released Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlights illegal actions the agency has uncovered from overseeing the collections, consumer reporting and payday lending markets.

Robocoin is installing a Bitcoin ATM in Las Vegas at the D casino hotel, enabling visitors to deposit funds to a Bitcoin wallet in person.

The 2009 law that restricts a range of fees and practices has become the devil you know for the credit card industry.

When women reject or reframe career-limiting assumptions, they are able to get ahead at their jobs without sacrificing having a family.

Markit and Genpact Limited have debuted a new "know your customer" service to help banks deal with heightened regulatory challenges and risks. The product was designed in collaboration with Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Morgan Stanley.

Community 1st Bank (CFBN) of Auburn, Calif., shuffled its executive team on Thursday after re-appointing Robert C. Haydon, the bank president and chief executive officer, as board chairman.

Arrow Global, a United Kingdom-based buyer of delinquent debt from credit card companies and banks, reported strong Q1 collections on purchased loan portfolios.