Companies of all types are turning to social media — Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and beyond — as well as tracking cookies for clues about customers' behavior, identity, preferences, habits and "life events."

Diebold would not only be eliminating a rival in buying Germany's Wincor Nixdorf — it would also gain new technology and retail relationships vital to its success in an economy that is growing much less reliant on plastic cards.

The White House is pushing back on suggestions that it will cut a deal to recapitalize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before the end of President Obama’s term, putting the pressure back on Congress for a solution.

Springleaf's proposed acquisition of Citi's OneMain Holdings is being delayed by the Justice Department, which appears focused on preserving competition at the local level — even as a raft of new subprime installment lenders are popping up on the Web.

A blog post published Monday by the New York Fed offered the embattled payday lending industry a rare show of regulatory support.

Community banks, frustrated that online and email marketing often gets overlooked, are trying to get people to engage with local businesses in hopes of landing more clients.

Quicken Loans is partnering with Freddie Mac to boost business among first-time and middle-income borrowers as it battles allegations over its past underwriting practices on Federal Housing Administration-backed mortgages.

Dollar Bank in Pittsburgh has named James McQuade its CEO-in-waiting. McQuade will succeed Robert Oeler on Nov. 1 as president of the $7.2 billion-asset mutual thrift, and then will become CEO some time next year, when Oeler retires from that position.

Fannie Mae plans to make several changes that could help more consumers, including those with little credit history, qualify for a home loan.

Diebold Inc. offered 1.57 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in cash and stock to acquire its German rival, Wincor Nixdorf AG, in a bid to create the biggest maker of cash machines and security systems with about $6 billion in sales.

Even if Operation Choke Point officially ended, U.S. regulators have continued to apply the policy of threatening investigations and ruinous fines against banks that service "high-risk" customers in disfavored industries.

Communities First Financial in Fresno, Calif., has a new chief executive.

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Investar Holding in Baton Rouge, La., has made a series of changes to its executive ranks.

Acquisitions would seem to be a logical course of action for regional banks struggling to cut costs and boost revenues in the low interest rate environment, but some bank chief executives are less open to the idea than others as comments by the heads of First Horizon and SunTrust demonstrate.

General Electric plans to ask early next year for relief from heightened regulatory scrutiny, while its former credit card arm says that it won't be subject to the same stress-testing rules as most banks its size.

The agency's staff is already working on a new regulation that would easing access to capital, an issue that makes bankers very nervous.

BofI Holding in San Diego is poised to end a tumultuous week, after a lawsuit accusing it of lax controls sent investors scurrying.

Citigroup has launched a unit in its global consumer bank dedicated to the development of its mobile banking services and promoted Heather Cox to be its CEO.

Consumer confidence in October remained flat amid concerns about slower growth in the labor market and across the broader economy.