Bitcoin fanatics and skeptics met under the same roof at a recent event in New York. Now that the digital currency is recognized under guidance from Fincen and bitcoin users established a self-regulating organization, entrepreneurs and payments-industry veterans are finding some common ground.

Zions Bancorp. (ZION) in Salt Lake City plans to issue as much as $195 million in debt through its online broker-dealer subsidiary.

Bank of America Corp. (BAC), the second-largest U.S. lender, told Pennsylvania regulators that it will cut 209 jobs from a unit servicing troubled mortgages.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated an enforcement action against Belt Valley Bank in Belt, Mont.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s online training for community bankers now includes an eight-video module on how institutions can manage their exposure to fluctuating rates.

The bank wants to make acquisitions in central Florida, but CEO Michael Micallef keeps hitting snags with loan books, cultural fit and deal structure.

Allegiance Bancshares has agreed to buy the $220 million-asset Independence Bank. Both are in Houston.

Capital One (COF) and Fifth Third (FITB) are the only two banks that received perfect scores for transparency according to a study of checking-fee disclosures released Tuesday by WalletHub, a personal-finance website.

Coinbase, a Bitcoin digital wallet provider, has launched a microtransactions feature to allow its customers to transfer small amounts between accounts for free.

The national mortgage delinquency rate (the rate of borrowers 60 or more days past due) continued its decline in 2013, dropping to 4.09% through the end of the second quarter, nearly 26% lower than the year-ago period. Since last quarter, the mortgage delinquency rate has fallen 10%.

Republic First Bancorp (FRBK) will allow customers to access funds at Allpoint Network ATMs without paying service fees.

BankFinancial (BFIN) in Burr Ridge, Ill., reported a decrease in quarterly profit because of lower net interest income.

Quarterly earnings at Meta Financial Group (CASH) in Sioux Falls, S.D., came in above analysts' estimates due to growth in revenue from loans and the company's payments system.

Baylake (BYLK) in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., has agreed to sell $26 million in deposits from two branches to 1st National Bank of Berlin in Wisconsin.

WASHINGTON — There are more than 7 million borrowers in default on federal or private student loans, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Lawmakers have accused Raj Date, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's former No. 2, of lobbying his old employer and profiting from a mortgage rule he wrote. Yet ethics experts, and even some of those who formerly accused him of wrongdoing, now say the charges are bogus.

With the market starting to value banks on their earnings rather than their book values, buyers are looking for deals that will prop up their bottom lines over the long term and are willing to pay more.

HSBC, Europe's largest lender, said possible damages from a lawsuit filed by a U.S. regulator over improperly sold mortgage-backed securities could cost the bank as much as $1.6 billion.

The Federal Reserve Board's Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey said credit conditions are improving for commercial and industrial loans but standards remain tight on mortgages and consumer debt.