Bank of America agreed to a $9.5 billion settlement over claims tied to faulty mortgages and boosted its dividend for the first time since 2007, the latest steps to put the financial crisis behind the firm.

Retail and consumer financial services veteran Jane J. Thompson has become a member of the VeriFone Systems board of directors, the terminal manufacturer said.

FICO has announced the availability of FICO Custom Credit Education, a new credit education service designed to give consumers better access to their FICO Score and help lenders be more informative about credit scoring.

After the stress tests, come the tears — and the gloating.

Melissa Smith, the president of Wex since last May and its CEO since the start of this year, announced in a company memo on Wednesday that she is due in September with her first child.

WASHINGTON — Top Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee are asking several watchdog agencies to provide more information about federal regulators' employment policies and practices with regard to minorities and women.

Hans Morris, a former Citi banker and Visa president, is stepping back from General Atlantic to launch his own venture-capital firm. Nyca Partners plans to invest between $8 million and $12 million a year in companies that can "transform the way financial services are provided," he said in an interview.

The $1.6 billion-asset KleinBank said it expects to buy the $207 million-asset Prior Lake by the end of this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Platte Valley Financial Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is buying a bank it played a role in forming.

First Federal Bank of Wisconsin in Waukesha and Bay View Federal Savings and Loan Association are merging.

Middleburg Bank in Virginia has agreed to sell its 62% stake in the mortgage banking firm Southern Trust Mortgage to two Virginia banks and Southern Trust's president.

U.S. Bank has begun offering e-payment kiosks to companies that want to shrink lines during their stores' busiest hours.

More banks are deciding to invest millions in mobile banking, video tellers and core-processing upgrades after avoiding capital spending for a long time. They says it's a good move for the long term, but some will take heat from investors and other critics in the short run.

The Overseas Private Investment Corp.'s board of directors has approved a $200 million financing guarantee that will support Wells Fargo's lending to U.S. small and midsize firms that have set up shop abroad.

Senate Banking members examined concerns about alternative lending products such as payday loans on Wednesday, though consensus on what, if any, changes are needed to the industry remains elusive.

Four Oaks Fincorp (FOFN) in Four Oaks, N.C., could raise more than $27 million in a securities agreement and rights offering.

Bitcoin companies are getting more recognition as serious contenders, and as they grow they are filling their ranks with people who established their careers in the mainstream payments industry.

For mortgage lenders, "subprime" can sound like a dirty word, especially after the financial crisis. But now some mortgage companies, in search of new business, are starting to loosen their credit standards again. As some banks and nonbank lenders, including Wells Fargo and Carrington Mortgage, offer mortgages to less creditworthy borrowers, are the subprime mortgage floodgates about to open wide?

With more reliable loan data, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would have greater confidence that borrowers would not default. In return, lenders would receive a juicy carrot: fewer buyback requests.

Rilla Delorier, SunTrust's marketing chief, says banks need to work together to promote financial health and change behavior. "We have to do this to save our industry," she says.