The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a debtor providing a cell phone number to a creditor has consented to receiving calls and thus the creditor doesn't violate the TCPA by making repeated, automated calls to that number seeking payment.

In a rapidly growing market outside the purview of the Truth in Lending Act or state usury caps, online lenders' rates and fees can be next to impossible to compare.

Even if stock losses cause the Fed to delay tightening, it won't be a catastrophe for banks' future earnings, according to a study of analysts' forecasts. Margins were not expected to balloon even if the Fed did act.

A look at where credit union branches are growing the fastest.

A growing number of fintech startups are appealing to the sensibilities of millennials by meeting social missions and, in some cases, by tying the amount of business they generate to the amount they give back to charity or to their customers.

BankMobile, the fee-free, digital-only offshoot of Customers Bancorp in Wyomissing, Pa., is launching a technology development division called BankMobile Technologies.

ACA International is raising concerns over the FTC's effort to encourage technology that will reroute some legitimate and valuable telephone calls.

Debt collection remains the top reported issue in the CFPB's complaint database and the number of complaints about the credit reporting industry rose sharply.

Support is building for changing part of bitcoin's design, after two high-profile developers introduced an alternate version of the virtual currency aimed at speeding up transactions and future-proofing the digital money.

Avadian Credit Union in Birmingham, Ala., has agreed to buy American Bank of Huntsville in Alabama.

The cloud computing company Salesforce has introduced Salesforce Financial Services Cloud, a series of applications written for financial services firms. The first application in the series is designed to facilitate the relationships between financial advisers and their clients.

If you want your bank to be one of the best to work for, you can pick up a lot of pointers from those in our third annual ranking.

Eagle Bancorp Montana in Helena has appointed a building contractor and real estate developer to its board.

Northfield Bancorp in Woodbridge, N.J., has agreed to buy Hopewell Valley Community Bank in Pennington, N.J.

Last year's No. 1 on our list of best places to work is this year's top scorer as well. From providing free Friday lunches to paying the full cost of health insurance, few do as much for employees as this niche lender.

Maggie Cancelino has worked in the banking industry for three decades, but says her six years with HomeBanc in Tampa have been the best. "When I go to work in the morning, I have a smile on my face," says Cancelino, manager of a branch in coastal Belleair. "We're happy, contented bankers. We're professional, but we can still have fun."

Pinnacle Financial Partners does many of the things that make for a good employer nowadays — wellness initiatives, flexible scheduling and a cash incentive plan that paid out $15.2 million to employees in 2014. It even boasts a well-attended book club.

Employee health is a priority for First Citizens National Bank. The $1.3 billion-asset bank offers free pilates classes at its on-site fitness center and reimburses gym membership costs. When its hometown of Dyersburg, Tenn., had a community "lose to win" weight-loss event last year, First Citizens paid employees' entry fees and offered additional in-house prizes.

Give Ron Samuels this: not many other bank chairmen play guitar in their institution's award-winning band.

Paragon Commercial Bank's commitment to employees is evident at its Raleigh, N.C., headquarters building. An on-site gym, buff with tread mills, ellipticals and weights, recently doubled in size. Down the hall, "Bob's Bistro" is a favorite hangout.