Miriam Cross

Less than half of consumers believe financial services providers adequately protect their personal information, according to an Arizent survey. Banks such as Wells Fargo and Bank of Idaho are offering mobile tools and cybersecurity education that could help rebuild trust.

The London bank is trying out new models that help it assess the creditworthiness of recent college graduates, and layering on software that analyzes the fairness of its credit decisions.

MoneyLion and Opportunity Financial are following in the footsteps of financial technology businesses that have raised billions of dollars from special purpose acquisition companies. The quick injection of funds is expected to accelerate their growth as well as make them more competitive with banks and other mainstream financial services firms.

Paybby, whose founder wanted to address disparities in the financial system after the George Floyd protests, is working with banks and others to develop products especially for underserved communities. They include a debit card that substitutes for food stamps and an app that temporarily sweeps cash into cryptocurrency.

Opportunity Financial, which offers consumer installment loans in partnership with banks, is merging with FG New America Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition corporation. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter.

Discovery Bank in South Africa and other overseas financial companies say healthier customers are more profitable. They are giving reward points, gym subsidies and even free Apple Watches to those who meet fitness goals.

Startups such as Majority, Sable and Simba were created by newcomers to the U.S. who learned firsthand which services, including global remittances and financial education, their audience values most.

Community banks say Vizaline’s software, which converts property descriptions into images, helps them catch errors before they close real estate loans without resorting to expensive land surveys. But traditional surveyors say the results are of questionable value.

Initially created as a budgeting app, Charlie has added new features that help users visualize their debt and then chip away at balances. Eventually it hopes to add more banklike products.

Banks and credit unions are partnering with fintechs like Zogo Finance and Flourish to recruit younger, more financially savvy customers with quizzes, rewards and other fun activities.

Truist, First National Bank of Omaha and Peoples Bank in Washington state are finding creative ways for loan officers, financial advisers and others to become ambassadors on platforms including Facebook and Instagram.

The digital bank for students, which recently merged with a blank-check company, can tap its new source of capital to diversify and pursue more white-label partnerships.

LendingClub, poised to be the first U.S. online lender to buy a bank, says the transaction will be completed in early February now that it has received approvals from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve.

Tier1 Financial Solutions says the acquisition will give it access to midsize financial institutions and that Alessa's product will improve onboarding for Tier1's clients.

Sigal Zarmi, who took on broader duties this fall, is modernizing the company's technological infrastructure and using reverse mentoring to combat bias in the workplace.

First Bank in New Jersey, Northeast Bank in Maine and others have warmed to the idea of using software to streamline Paycheck Protection Program lending so that employees can be more hands-on with customers.

Absa Group is drawing on global training data from the fintech Kasisto and annotators who review conversations with clients to help in fine-tuning its virtual assistant.

American Express has spent years refining a decision-making engine that can tailor products and services to cardholders' needs in real time.

GO2bank marks the latest effort by the prepaid card issuer and banking-as-a-service provider to deliver more traditional banking products directly to consumers. Its mobile-first account offers cash back, overdraft protection and a secured credit card to customers.

Challenger banks aimed at Blacks, Hispanics, immigrants and other underserved groups are offering financial education and support for charities in addition to basic banking services.