A year ago, 27-year-old software developer Roy Breidi was dreaming of launching a startup related to the digital currency bitcoin. Problem was, he “didn’t really understand what’s the magic behind it.”

Pacific Continental in Eugene, Ore., has appointed two former directors of a bank it bought to its own board.

Apple Pay got only a brief mention during the tech giant's introduction of the iPhone 7 on Sept. 7, but the changes have global implications.

First Financial Bancorp in Cincinnati has made Brad Ringwald its president of community banking; named Paul Silva the president of investment commercial real estate; tapped Rick Dennen to oversee the company's national lending businesses; and said Roddell McCullough, director of community development, will take on more responsibility helping determine the strategy for that area.

The trade group challenged the NCUA's member business lending rules enacted in February, but also hinted that it is prepared to file another lawsuit should the agency move forward with a separate regulation that would expand credit unions' field of membership.

Live Oak Bancshares in Wilmington, N.C., has formed a renewable energy lending division.

Who knows more about customers than banks? With great data comes great responsibility, though. Banks are expected to show their customers they know them, but are held to a higher standard than, say, Netflix.

Teller-less branches at SafeWay stores helped Boeing Employees Credit Union boost membership by nearly 50% between 2009 and 2015.

Opus Bank in Irvine, Calf., has given more responsibilities to its head of capital markets.

Despite their slowdown in growth, marketplace lenders are still in good position to gain from the digitization of the financial services industry.

Making good on threats it had made previously, the Independent Community Bankers of America filed suit Wednesday against the National Credit Union Administration, claiming the agency's recent overhaul of its member business lending rules violate two different laws.

Fintech is transforming consumer financial services, but automation and data innovation can also help banks meet their growing regulatory demands.

USAA has updated its digital platforms to give customers more control over unexpected declines on large transactions and access to service representatives on its website.

BancorpSouth in Tupelo, Miss., has hired Kyle Gilliam as president of its equipment finance and leasing division.

Meta Financial Group in Sioux Falls, S.D., has promoted Cynthia Smith, its head of technology and operations, to chief operating officer.

Under pressure from regulators and consumer advocates, brick-and-mortar banks are now offering overdraft-free accounts. But online-only and community banks still have them beat as the type and number of fees associated with big-bank checking have multiplied.

Credit unions in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas closed branches as a precaution, but no reports of major damage.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s recent statements encouraging new bank applications are promising, but some barriers to new charters may remain inside the FDIC and we are still waiting for the first de novo of 2016.

AltaPacific Bancorp in Santa Rosa, Calif., has agreed to buy Commerce Bank of Temecula Valley in Murrieta, Calif.

With the first chip card deadline for ATMs coming up in a few weeks, banks need to quickly gain an upper hand on potential risks. This starts with a more complete understanding of the complex changes at the ATM terminal.