Banking

NorthSide Bank in Adairsville, Ga., has hired a new president and chief executive.

Solera National Bancorp (SLRK) in Lakewood, Colo., says it tried unsuccessfully to resolve a dispute with its biggest shareholder.

The National Association of Realtors estimates that the Federal Housing Administration's 1.35% annual premium stopped at least 125,000 renters from buying a home last year.

Arizona's attorney general quietly rehired his former spokeswoman to lead the state's Collections Enforcement Unit, a move that could lead to political fallout.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is facing mounting problems over racial disparities in its hiring and performance evaluation practices, which have drawn criticism and Congressional scrutiny. American Banker reporters discuss what's next for the CFPB and its critics, and what Director Richard Cordray could do to improve his agency's situation.

C1 Bank in St. Petersburg, Fla., is betting that its new, above-average "living wage" for all full-time employees will help it attract and retain top-notch workers.

After slogging through several quarters of high expenses and shrinking profits, some lenders are now selling mortgage servicing rights to raise cash to cover payroll and expenses, industry sources say.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch is offering chip-and-PIN cards to middle-market U.S. clients and their staff who use credit cards globally.

ServisFirst Bancshares in Birmingham, Ala., has filed plans to raise $72 million through in initial public offering.

Regions Financial (RF) in Birmingham, Ala., is reorganizing the geographic structure of its Midwest operations following the retirement of area President Sally Roth.

Bankwell Financial (BWFG) in New Canaan, Conn., plans to raise nearly $61 million by selling common and preferred stock.

Vietnam Eximbank has implemented biometric technology for over-the-counter and ATM transactions where only fingerprint is needed for authentication.

National Bank of Cambridge in Cambridge, Md., has been freed from a formal agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Hackers who raided the credit-card payment system of Neiman Marcus Group Ltd. belong to a sophisticated Russian syndicate that has stolen more than 160 million credit-card numbers from retailers over seven years, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Local court officials across Tennessee gained approval last week to add an additional fee if they use an outside collection agency to pursue unpaid criminal court fines and fees.

Last year, IdentityMind Global's banking partners began asking the anti-fraud and risk management provider to build an anti-money laundering system for the Bitcoin startups among the bank's clients. IdentityMind Global has now completed development on this AML technology.

Popular (BPOP) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, could be looking to sell its banking operations in Chicago and Los Angeles.

A new report by the World Privacy Forum describes the proliferation of "consumer scores" and calls for rules that would make them more transparent to the public. These scores differ substantially from traditional credit scores, which are compiled using loan payment histories from credit reports. Instead, consumer scores rely on other data, such as retail purchase histories, demographic information and social media activity. Consumer lenders use some of them to evaluate loan applicants. Here's a rundown of selected scores and some of the World Privacy Forum's related warnings, including one that calls for updating existing consumer protection regulations.

IMGCAP(1)]

EBay Inc. now allows marketplace users in the U.S. to sell virtual currency, such as the popular decentralized cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.