Not adjustable rate, variable rate. Unlike the ARMs we know here in the U.S., Canada's VRMs solve the vexing trade-off between monthly payment risk and interest rate risk. The product deserves a close look here south of the border.

Fair Credit Reporting Act and Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuits year-to-date are both tracking well ahead of last year's pace, according to data gathered from U.S. district courts. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act cases are slightly down from last year's record pace.

The Federal Trade Commission stopped two operations that deceived consumers looking for help handling their debts, including one firm that tricked people by impersonating federal government agencies.

The U.S. island territory is on the verge of having only six banks left, but executives there welcome consolidation and appear more open to change than their mainland peers.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) said that an unauthorized party gained access to business data belonging to customers of its accounts-payable service but that it has not detected a theft or wrongful use of the data.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) is being investigated over potential power-market manipulation that inflated payments for electricity, according to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

In a recent survey conducted by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, only one bank — Bank of America (BAC) — was ranked among the top 15 most-hated companies and, for the second straight year, no banks ranked among the top 10.

Collection agency DP and Associates has agreed with the West Virginia attorney general's office to return $1.7 million in refunds and cancelled debts to consumers in the state, West Virginia officials announced Tuesday.

Citigroup Inc., the third-biggest U.S. bank by assets, moved investor-relations chief John Andrews to a new position where he will deliver market information and "rapid insight" to the firm's top clients.

Indecomm Global Services has opened a new mortgage lending and servicing outsourcing facility in Charlotte.

Retailing giant Wal-Mart may be pulling American Express prepaid cards from its shelves due to poor sales, according to an analyst report from Jefferies & Co.

Still holding stakes in some 325 banks, the Treasury is expected to accept bigger discounts as it works to unwind the bailout-era program.

Growth in commercial and industrial loans fell to the slowest pace in a year during the period, according to preliminary data. But the increase was still healthy enough to offset contractions in other loan categories, and help drive an expansion in balance sheets.

Officials with St. Helens Community Federal Credit Union in Oregon and nearby Wauna Federal Credit Union said they plan to merge to create a credit union with about $300 million in assets.

Four New York thrifts — Dime Savings, CMS, NorthEast Community and Fairport Savings — received approval Monday to switch from federal to state charters, adding to a growing list of converts nationwide.

PSCU Financial Services, a service organization that provides products and services to its roughly 1,500 member credit unions, announced Monday that it will begin issuing prepaid chip cards for several of its clients this summer.

EverBank this week was the latest buyer to take advantage of the ripening market for books of commercial and other types of credits. Wells Fargo, City National and others have announced similar moves.

KeyBank has built a low-dollar consumer lending product that makes money and pleases consumer advocates.

Lender Processing Services (LPS) has agreed to acquire LendingSpace, a provider of mortgage loan origination software.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency provided an update Tuesday to its pilot program designed to turn foreclosed properties into rental homes, saying it had announced the first round of winning bidders.