A move by the National Labor Relations Board could force more legal liability on franchisors for actions taken by their franchisees. Some observers believe banks could become more reluctant lending to smaller franchisors until the issue has more clarity.

Old National Bancorp in Evansville, Ind., reported improved third-quarter profit on growth in fees and consumer and commercial real estate lending.

Customers Bancorp in Wyomissing, Pa., is building an online borrowing experience for its small-business clients.

First Northern Community Bancorp in Dixon, Calif., has exited the Small Business Lending Fund.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of collection agency Van Ru Credit Corp. in a case involving a voicemail message left at a consumer’s business.

Northrim BanCorp in Anchorage, Alaska, will give its chief executive the additional title of chairman, as its current chairman to plans to retire at year end.

A large investor in 1st Century Bancshares is upset that the Los Angeles company is looking to raise new capital.

Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson's term as chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association underscores how the Internet-and-phone channel has grown from a quirky novelty to transformative force in the industry.

Utah officials want to make it easier to garnish the bank accounts of delinquent taxpayers by requiring banks and credit unions to turn over targeted customer information.

First Horizon National Corp. in Memphis expects to be fined up to $11.5 million by federal arbitration panel, in a dispute over its sale of preferred-term securities to First United Corp. in Oakland, Md.

Banks should be prepared for the potential that an investor with a growing stake does not have the institution’s interests at heart.

New York’s attorney general called on more than 90 banks including units of Toronto-Dominion Bank and HSBC Holdings to revamp customer screening procedures to give poor people better access to financial services.

The financial condition of the Federal Housing Administration’s mortgage insurance fund has improved “significantly” over the past year, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro predicted late Monday.

Led by a team of financial services and regulatory veterans and young techies, Privacy.com represents the first mainstream attempt to build a business explicitly around transactional privacy in the era of Edward Snowden and Ashley Madison.

Most mobile wallets clearly favor one industry over another, with banks and retailers often pitted against each other in a battle over payment card fees. JPMorgan Chase just made a stunning move by conceding some of this ground to the benefit of the Merchant Customer Exchange.

Alerus Financial in Grand Forks, N.D., has agreed to buy Alliance Benefit Group North Central States, a retirement plan administrator in Minnesota.

The $3.5 billion-asset Fidelity Southern said in a press release Monday that it will pay $27 million in stock for the $205 million-asset American Enterprise. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter.

German American Bancorp in Jasper, Ind., has agreed to buy River Valley Bancorp in Madison, Ind.

The ease of comparing rates online will make it hard for industry pioneers like Lending Club and OnDeck to keep generating high-margin loans, some observers believe.

The bank owners of the clearXchange payments network and the Early Warning risk management service hope that by combining the two programs, they can remain in control of technologies that will become core to mobile commerce.