Borrowers who are being sued by lenders over the money owed on foreclosed mortgages are making novel use of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. They argue that they cannot be sued if they live in a state different from the one where the property is located.

The digital currency movement is headed into 2015 still looking for a "killer app" to pull Bitcoin out of obscurity. Mixing Bitcoin's technology with the virality of social media could be the winning ticket.

United Financial Bancorp in Glastonbury, Conn., is planning to close five branches and lay off the employees who work in them.

Biz2Credit, an online lending marketplace geared toward small businesses, has received a $250 million investment capital agreement from Direct Lending Investments, a fund that purchases small business loans through online and peer-to-peer lending platforms.

Legacy Bank of Florida in Boca Raton has been released from an enforcement action with state and federal regulators.

FNBK Holdings in Dallas has agreed to acquire the First National Bank of Kemp in Texas.

Incentives for companies aren't the same as incentives for people. The QRM risk-retention rule doesn't solve "IBG, YBG" — "I'll be gone, you'll be gone." Banks appear to have been slow to adopt clawback policies for individual lenders.

Tech startup Global Debt Registry hopes a central, online record of consumer debt will help end abuses in collection practices. But the byzantine world of debt collections is full of challenges.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is urging the Department of Defense to finalize a proposal meant to stop lenders from offering expensive credit to military personnel.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is urging the Department of Defense to finalize its proposal to extend the Military Lending Act to cover more types of credit than the current rule.

Valley National in Wayne, N.J., will use proceeds from a branch sale in New York City to offset costs tied to prepaying debt.

Michael Scudder stands to get a full year of benefits from three recently completed deals. The big question, however, is whether First Midwest will pursue a transformative deal to cross over $10 billion in assets and offset a heightened regulatory burden.

More than 1.1 million households in the U.S. used auto title loans in 2013, according to a survey by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. - the first time the agency has included such loans in its annual survey.

Since the recession, card companies have profited largely from swipe fees and rock-bottom loss rates. But with interest rates expected to rise in 2015, loan portfolios are finally growing again, and the industry is starting to look more like it did before 2008.

MainStreet Bank in Fairfax, Va., has raised nearly $13 million by issuing common stock.

Experian announced Monday that it will begin offering FICO credit scores through its direct-to-consumer products.

Credit Karma has begun offering on-demand access to credit reports from Equifax.

Experian will now offer FICO credit scores through its direct-to-consumer products, the Costa Mesa, Calif.-based credit bureau announced today.

LCNB Corp. in Lebanon, Ohio, has agreed to buy BNB Bancorp in Brookville, Ohio.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits dropped to a more typical 713 cases (including 66 class action cases) filed in November after a spike to more than 900 in October. Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuits decreased to 173 (including 14 class action cases) in November from more than 225 a month earlier.