Laura Alix

James Smith said he would decide soon whether he’ll seek the Republican nomination for governor. He said he was inspired partly by his recent work on a commission tasked with recommending fixes to the state’s fiscal and economic problems.

BB&T is the nation's fifth-largest insurance broker. The deal, expected to close in the third quarter, would further expand its reach in the Southeast and Texas.

China’s threat to impose hefty tariffs on dozens of U.S. imports could weaken demand for soybeans, pork and other agricultural products. Here's what that could mean for farmers, ranchers and the banks that lend to them.

The state’s banking regulator said that the online consumer lender made over 46,000 small loans to Bay State consumers without a license. The company surrendered its license to the state regulator as part of a 2011 consent order.

A majority of midsize and large banks complain that red tape is mounting and that they are passing on higher regulatory costs to customers and have less flexibility in designing products, according to a new survey by the RMA.

Some investors fear BBVA is taking a big risk by getting into unsecured personal lending long after online lenders have established themselves, but bank officials argue the bank’s cost of funds and in-depth knowledge of its customers will help it to outdo the competition.

The company has agreed to acquire Bank of Rio Vista to expand its operations in central California.

Only North Dakota has its own state-owned bank, but policymakers in other states say more public banks are necessary to fully meet society's needs. Among those who proponents say would benefit the most: small-business owners and legal marijuana suppliers and distributors.

Behavioral biometrics are attractive because they are easy to implement, hard for criminals to spoof and not subject to the same privacy protections applied to thumbprints or retina scans.

The Portland, Ore., company has hired four private bankers from City National as part of a broader effort to provide a full range of services to business owners and high-net-worth households in Orange County and San Diego.