South State in South Carolina has agreed to buy Southeastern Bank Financial in Georgia, which is run by Daniel Blanton, the chairman of the American Bankers Association.

Lawsuit filings for all key statutes impacting debt collectors dropped in May, according to the latest numbers pulled from U.S. district courts.

Even though innovative underwriting criteria can help more people get credit, the risks and potential harms of mining social media data to make loan decisions might just be too great.

HSBC agreed to pay $1.58 billion to settle a 14-year-old shareholder lawsuit over allegations that executives of a U.S. subprime-lending business acquired by the bank misled investors.

Business activity for the banking sector retained its momentum in May, according to the latest reading of the Index of Banking Activity. The overall index held essentially level with a reading of 57.0 versus the 57.1 reading in April. Among the biggest differences month-over-month was a narrowing of the divergence between consumer-sensitive indicators, which retreated from exceptionally high readings, and indicators that track commercial-lending activity, which recovered from depressed levels in April.

Many respondents to the survey pointed to consumer lending as an area of opportunity and some concern. Several bankers said that they expect consumer demand for credit, which has been robust in recent months, to intensify further amid expectations of higher rates. In response, some bankers noted that they are taking steps to buttress their loan review processes. The component of the IBA that tracks consumer loan approvals registered the largest pullback of any component in May, although it did maintain an expansionary level (scores above 50 indicate expansion within a business line).

Bankers in the Western states were the most likely to report weakness in consumer lending, although this was limited mainly to energy sensitive sections of the region. Respondents in the Midwest, in contrast, reported increased momentum, with commercial lending emerging as an area of particular strength.

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Richard Cordray, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is the target of a new TV ad campaign that alleges he is courting potential funders for a run as governor of Ohio by enacting a plan that would benefit trial lawyers. The campaign appears to be the work of Lincoln Strategy Group, a political strategy firm in Phoenix with ties to Republicans.

Eastern Virginia Bankshares in Tappahannock, Va., is backing up the moving van as it prepares to relocate its headquarters to a Richmond suburb, with an eye toward efficiency and growth.

Tim Sloan, president and COO at Wells Fargo, is widely viewed as next in line to take over as CEO of the bank. He discussed the speculation — as well as energy lending, credit standards, living wills and a number of other topics — in a recent interview.

The rise in oil prices in recent months is welcome news for the energy sector, but it doesn't mean that oil and gas firms — and the banks that lend to them — are out of the woods just yet.

Study of financial services offers grim outlook for gender parity, as Patti Husic and Katia Bouazza talk about where change really begins; Maria Vullo vows to forge her own identity as New York's banking watchdog (sans boots); and male CEOs talk about how they maintain work-life balance. Plus, the significance of women wearing pants ( … if not boots).

The head of an allegedly unlawful debt collection operation is banned from that business under a court order obtained by the Federal Trade Commission.

The answer may be no, according to federal regulators. Their new guidelines on mobile security include other surprises, too, such as specific requirements tied to geolocation, security tests and cross-site scripting.

Peapack-Gladstone Financial in Bedminster, N.J., is considering additional acquisitions in wealth management after raising $50 million in subordinated debt.

The prospect of banks and credit unions meeting small-dollar loan demand is at risk under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's restrictive proposal.

The operators of an alleged mortgage relief scam are charged with bilking millions of dollars from homeowners by falsely telling them they could join a so-called "mass joinder" lawsuit that would save them from foreclosure and provide additional financial awards.

Ally Financial has introduced its first credit card, as the online bank continues to add products to complement its staple car loans and online bank.

Visa appealed to the public as it responds to Walmart's decision to stop accepting the network's cards in Canada, accusing the retailer of "unfairly dragging" millions of shoppers into private negotiations over card fees.

As banks try to acquire new customers via digital channels, they should add content marketing strategies into their lineups.

The search giant responded Wednesday to critics of its recently established ban on payday loan ads.

New York senators approved Vullo Wednesday as the superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, a year after the exit of the last permanent superintendent.