Credit-card industry executives always insist that they face strong competition. But the battle between the nation's largest card issuers appears to have intensified in recent months, and it shows no signs of waning.

Consumers who lost money in an online operation that illegally debited their bank accounts when they sought payday loans are being mailed checks this week totaling $1.5 million.

A shorter, less burdensome and more sensible call report is an important step toward reducing community banks' regulatory burden.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has appointed new consumer finance experts from outside the federal government to its Consumer Advisory Board, Community Bank Advisory Council and Credit Union Advisory Council.

A federal grand jury has indicted the founder of a once-booming Indiana collection agency on felony bank fraud, wire fraud and bankruptcy card charges.

The profound disruption that has led to the rise of challengers like Apple, PayPal and Square can ultimately drive innovation across the financial services industry.

The county reportedly has written off more than $150,000 in debt and has had no success hiring an agency or law firm.

California Bank of Commerce in Lafayette, Calif., has agreed to buy Pan Pacific Bank in Fremont, Calif.

IMGCAP(1)]

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including banks' subpar shareholder value and how big-data advocates can better communicate with critics who worry about the technology's potential discriminatory effects.

Citi and Capital One are putting pressure on rivals such as Discover and American Express, while Wells Fargo is eyeing a bigger footprint in the business.

Two banks with labor ties — Amalgamated Bank of Chicago and United Business Bank in Oakland — are beginning to aggressively court commercial clients.

Community banks are hoping regulators' recent decision to drop certain items from call reports is just the beginning of supervisory efforts to streamline the forms to reduce their burden.

During the recent market volatility, apps that aim to lure non-typical investors into the market faced a problem with which all digital-only financial products contend: no office to visit for reassurance. Companies turned to emails, tweets and pop-up messages to try to replicate the soothing voice.

Fidelity Bank, a mutual in Fitchburg, Mass., that's merging with another mutual, has named Christopher McCarthy chief operating officer.

Studies are showing that companies predominantly led by women perform better than those led by men; worldwide trends are showing a continuing uptick in the number of women on boards, but they still account for less than 20% of directors.

Lenders and vendors found no bad surprises in the Truth in Lending Act/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act integrated disclosure exam guidance, but it didn't clarify much industry confusion either.

The government’s cap on interchange fees has failed to produce savings for consumers. That’s why the Federal Reserve should avoid dictating prices in the private sector.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and from our social media platforms.

In a series of internal documents that were reviewed by American Banker, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officials repeatedly acknowledge its methodology could overcount the potential discrimination by firms, but say they prefer that to the alternative where bias is underestimated.