After the death of former House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley on Jan. 1, the media largely focused on his most famous accomplishment: the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

At the start of 2015, there was a sense that Silicon Valley would soon rule the world of finance and that banks risked irrelevance. A year later, a more balanced picture has emerged.

Riverview Financial in Harrisburg, Pa., has completed an acquisition that it had shelved last summer.

A New York resident can bring a lawsuit in federal court to challenge debt collection practices under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act for a loan that was discharged in bankruptcy, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Monday.

Sierra Bancorp in Porterville, Calif., has agreed to buy Coast Bancorp in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

If impending rules on overdraft protection go too far, banks could intentionally pull back on providing the service to illustrate just how useful it is.

CommonBond, a New York firm that makes student loans through an online platform, said Tuesday that it has raised more than $275 million in debt funding from Barclays and others.

A lot of bank boards have a big knowledge gap when it comes to technology. A recent Accenture study found that, of 109 large banks globally, more than 40% did not have a single board member with a technology background. And the situation is even more worrisome at small banks.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is important, but it barely scratches the surface of former House Financial Services Committee Chairman Michael Oxley's impact on banking.

The blockchain could move from testing to reality, APIs are likely to expand, and more functions will move to the cloud as banks look for ways to fend off fintechs in 2016.

Bank consolidation turned a corner last year as more large banks became comfortable returning to M&A. A panel of investment bankers believes that trend will continue in the coming year.

AmeriServ Financial in Johnstown, Pa., and Provident Bancorp in Amesbury, Mass., are the latest community banks to announce plans to exit the Small Business Lending Fund.

A large investor in Old Point Financial is looking to gain a seat on the Hampton, Va., company’s board.

Credit Bureau Systems Inc. has acquired the business of Fidelis EMS Billing LLC for undisclosed financial terms.

Itaú Unibanco Holding SA, Brazil's largest bank by market value, will pay approximately $305 million for a stake in a debt collection company and a pool of non-performing loans.

Banks claim bandwidth and security concerns led to interruptions for personal finance apps, but institutions still resist a more secure and efficient portal.

Thomas O'Brien made good on a 2015 promise to turn a profit in every quarter. This year, his goal is to stay profitable to earn back a deferred-tax asset that should meaningfully increase the New Jersey company's valuation.

Bitcoin Direct has a heavyweight behind its latest digital wallet – literally.

After defeating an expert in Japanese chess, this computer program's next task is to figure out if you can make the payments on a new mortgage.

The presidential race is likely to overshadow most political events in 2016 as the first primary states begin voting in February. Accordingly, many of the people on this list are candidates who could win the presidency in November, or at least have the chance to shape the outcome. But there are also some guaranteed players already in place whose actions will help shape banking policy in the year to come. Here are the top 10 to watch.