This "product" is weakened in the customers' mind when interacting with a living, breathing banker inevitably involves fending off sales pitches.

Charlie Shrem, a prominent evangelist for Bitcoin who is charged by the U.S. with conspiring to launder more than $1 million in the virtual currency tied to the illicit online bazaar Silk Road, is in plea talks, prosecutors said.

Consumer complaint volume nearly doubled from 91,000 in 2012 to 163,700 in 2013, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Board's Consumer Response Annual Report.

NewBridge Bancorp (NBBC) in Greensboro, N.C., has completed its redemption of preferred stock tied to the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

The property tax delinquency rate for Detroit landlords receiving Section 8 payments is 26%, and they collectively owe the city at least $5 million.

QCR Holdings (QCRH) in Moline, Ill., has redeemed more preferred stock it issued to the Treasury Department under the Small Business Lending Fund.

Bankwell Financial Group (BWFG) in New Canaan, Conn., has agreed to buy Quinnipiac Bank & Trust in Hamden, Conn.

Much has been written about the revolutionary impact Big Data will have on businesses, including benefits to lenders in terms of improving marketing and risk management.

Peoples Financial Services in Scranton, Pa., will begin trading on the Nasdaq on April 2.

The president and chief executive of Town & Country Bank and Trust in Bardstown, Ky., is reportedly stepping down.

The Federal Home Loan banks' Office of Finance said members are borrowing more, yet net income for the system fell from the previous year.

Aquesta Bank (AQFH) in Cornelius, N.C., has formed a holding company.

As American manufacturers see more opportunities to sell their wares in China, banks are vying hard for their business.

The Small Business Administration is changing some of its lending rules to expand access to its two main programs.

Diebold is partnering with the $5.5 billion-asset Suncoast CU to test an ATM that reuses consumer-deposited cash for future withdrawals. Tampa, Fla.-based Suncoast is the first financial institution in the U.S. to test the technology.

Three defendants charged in a multimillion-dollar telemarketing fraud scheme agreed to court-issued preliminary injunctions that will shut down the operation. The court also imposed a preliminary injunction against the final defendant, Ari Tietolman and his companies.

One of the two banks suing retailer Target and security vendor Trustwave in connection with the retailer's high-profile data breach has backed off.

The city lacks recourse and thus seeks help from the state legislature to collect the delinquent accounts.

Community banks are considering issuing their own credit cards as a way to protect their customer relationships and bring in fee income.

Small banks' increased compliance costs could lead to fewer relationship managers, streamlined service models and increased costs of credit. As such, many small business and middle-market customers may simply choose to take their business elsewhere.