An appeals court chose not to revisit a ruling that a collection agency violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act when it sent a collection letter revealing a debtor's account number through the envelope's address window. The agency now can either let the decision stand or try taking the case to the Supreme Court.

Federal Savings Bank in Chicago has teamed up with West Suburban Bank in Lombard, Ill., to offer mortgage products across West Suburban's 37-branch network.

Garry Cipponeri, the head of capital markets for JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s U.S. mortgage unit, is leaving the bank to start a new company, according to two people with knowledge of the move.

There were fewer institutions originating mortgages in 2013, while low- and moderate-income borrowers took a smaller share of industry volume, according to the recently released Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data.

Mortgage underwriting overlays are not only tighter than they were precrisis, they're more restrictive than they were 15 years ago — a trend that Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro wants to change.

It's fashionable to say that community banks need to bulk up to better absorb compliance costs and compete with larger banks, but not all bankers agree. At a panel discussion at American Banker's Regulatory Symposium Monday, three CEOs argued that small banks can thrive by remaining hyperfocused on the communities they serve, while continually finding ways to grow revenues and control expenses.

Punishing executives for misconduct at banks is essential to deter wrongdoing on Wall Street, New York's banking regulator said.

Rebeca Romero Rainey, the CEO of Centinel Bank of Taos, will use part of her speech at a Federal Reserve conference on small banks this week to discuss the need for regulatory relief and her belief that community bankers have a duty to persevere under difficult circumstances.

A panel at American Banker's Regulatory Symposium about the Department of Justice program featured a spirited debate about whether it is prudently fighting fraud or cooling banks' relationships with legal businesses.

Regulators would like banks to use their mobile banking services to reach the unbanked and underbanked. Some, including Southern Bancorp and BBVA Compass, are working to create mobile features that will help them compete with check cashers and payday lenders.

Apple's long-anticipated move into mobile payments seemed to cover all the bases — Apple Pay will launch with the support of major banks, card networks and retailers. But there were several things that didn't make it into the first version of its mobile wallet.

There is a good chance legislation that would provide regulatory relief to small banks and address concerns about which banks are dubbed systemically important could be wrapped in the same Senate bill next year, experts said at American Banker's 4th Annual Regulatory Symposium.

Rental applicants, especially those applying for less expensive units, are seeing improvements in their credit risk, according to TransUnion.

House Republicans are criticizing plans by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to regulate more auto lenders.

Susquehanna Bancshares in Lititz, Pa., has hired a president and chief executive for its bank.

Regulators are developing joint standards for cybersecurity, testing special exam procedures and helping banks assess their own readiness, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg said at American Banker's 4th Annual Regulatory Symposium. That's a good thing because community bankers said they need a lot of help.

The commitment by the two housing giants marks a win for upstart VantageScore Solutions in its quest to compete against industry leader Fair Isaac Corp. However, the outcome of the review is uncertain, and Fannie warned that the costs of adopting new credit scores might prove to be "substantial" for lenders and others.

In putting together the 2014 edition of the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance, we decided to pose a few questions about gender to our honorees. One of those questions became a theme: "Does gender matter in banking?" You'll find some of the responses here, and we invite you to share your thoughts.

We all say things can be better. These women act.

• FirstMerit's Sandy Pierce: Standing up for Detroit
• Bank of America's Cathy Bessant: Paying It Forward
• M&T's Michele Trolli: Leading a Bear of a Digital Transformation
• Zions' LeeAnne Linderman: Starting a Charity from Scratch
• RBC's Lisa Pollina: Creating Jobs for Military Veterans
• NorthStar's Julie Goodridge: Fighting for Investors and Gay Marriage

Debby Hopkins' team brings fresh ideas to Citigroup by thinking and acting like tech entrepreneurs. Her Citi Ventures unit is an outlier in that its top four executives are women.