A federal judge ruled that bitcoins are “a currency or form of money” and therefore subject to relevant U.S. laws in a case against a Texas man accused of creating a fraudulent Bitcoin hedge fund.

Freddie Mac's top lawyer threatened to file suit against municipalities that attempt to use eminent domain to refinance underwater mortgages.

Even as policymakers plot its demise, Fannie is raising the prices it pays to community lenders for mortgage loans — outbidding large-bank aggregators like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase.

In a Web chat with Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff, Obama said he'll urge Congress to act on a reform package to wind down Fannie and Freddie and place housing on a "more stable footing," but also give homeowners "a chance to refinance while interest rates are still low."

Wells Fargo (WFC) is laying off 763 employees in its Home Mortgage division.

Bankers are pressing ahead with sales of nonperforming commercial loans, and debt collectors are buying them up, even though regulatory pressure has slowed or halted the unloading of bad consumer loans.

Naugatuck Valley Financial in Connecticut is attempting the same transition that scores of other banks have completed in the last year, purging past mistakes in an effort to concentrate more on expansion.

GAHANNA, Ohio – Fast-growing KEMBA Financial CU said it plans to add as many as five new branches in the next few years, as it grows to meet an expanded field of membership.

Cardtronics' purchase of Cardpoint Ltd. in Europe helps the Houston-based ATM operator expand into more of the U.K. and enter Germany, two countries whose populations rely more heavily on cash.

Nothing shows a banker or financier has arrived like having a prominent architectural edifice named after him. Some who've enjoyed such distinction have gone on to garner public attention for far less flattering matters, including serious legal troubles. Here's a look at prominent figures, and institutions, that fit the profile.

The decline of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could usher in a mortgage renaissance for community banks facilitated by their natural partner, the Federal Home Loan Bank System.

BofI Holding (BOFI) in San Diego reported its sixth consecutive quarter of record profits as an expansion of its balance sheet led to higher lending income.

Banc of California (BANC) earned $4.4 million, or 36 cents a share, in the second quarter, compared with a $739,000 loss a year earlier. The results topped the expectations of analysts polled by Bloomberg by 13 cents.

Online and mobile banking adoption continues to grow quickly, a national poll finds.

Wells Fargo (WFC) will issue new credit cards on the American Express network beginning in mid-2014, the two companies announced Wednesday. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

CoBiz Financial (COBZ) in Denver plans to retire $21 million in debt. The $2.7 billion-asset company is scheduled to retire the unsecured notes on Aug. 19, it said in a regulatory filing Tuesday.

President Obama belatedly weighed in Tuesday with a vision of how to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the future of housing finance. American Banker editors discuss how the White House’s involvement is likely to influence the debate.

Cardtronics has continued its acquisitions spree with a deal to acquire Cardpoint Ltd., an operator of 7,100 ATMs in the U.K. and Germany, for $153 million cash, representing the ATM giant's first foray into Continental Europe.

The lower profits and new fees banks predicted when the swipe fee cap on debit cards was initially proposed never came to fruition. Why believe them now?

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach (FMBL) in California has hired a chief operating officer.