Rather than targeting the masses, the founders of these neobanks are narrowing their focus to serve people who may benefit from specialized products and services. The latest example: Nerve, a banking app for musicians.

Traditional financial institutions face pressure to imitate fintechs that have brought many consumers into the mainstream. Yet cash must be a key part of efforts to expand access, since it's still crucial for many low-income families, the elderly, migrants and others.

Failures and forced consolidation among smaller institutions could accelerate in 2022 and 2023 once the federal stimulus programs that have propped up the economy run their course, experts predict.

Mary Hines Droesch will oversee the strategy, design and management of lending and deposit products for retail and small-business customers of the bank.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau may investigate cryptocurrency providers for mistreating customers, but the agency’s supposed interest in the burgeoning sector is reviving a debate about the CFPB’s authority.

Banks should be careful not to overreact to the pandemic recession and assume that the public is willing to forgo personal service. More than 40% of consumers say having a branch nearby is their primary reason for picking a bank.

Genesis Bank, the second minority depository institution aimed at multiple demographic groups, says loan demand has far exceeded expectations and that it will seek additional capital to meet the credit of needs Asian, Black and Hispanic consumers in Southern California.

Russell Columbo will step down Oct. 31 after 15 years at the helm. The $4 billion-asset company has named its COO, Tim Myers, to succeed Columbo.

Companies like Ally are mimicking the approach of fintechs by curbing overdraft charges and instituting other changes. It is a sign that startups’ efforts to improve customer experience were successful and that competition in digital-first banking will intensify.

The midsize regional has long wanted to be a player in VC banking. Its deal for the U.S. arm of Israel's Bank Leumi would give Valley global scale in this lucrative line of business.

Marc Womack, a former executive at JPMorgan Chase, Capital One and GE Capital, will join the subprime auto lender next month.

Its deal for the unaffiliated but similarly mission-focused Amalgamated Bank of Chicago would create a $7.6 billion-asset institution serving unions, nonprofits and organizations that support environmental sustainability and social enterprises.

The Dallas-based bank holding company said it would pay $62.5 million in cash to buy the privately held North Avenue Capital, the top lender in the USDA's Business & Industry program.

The $12.3 billion-asset Boston bank set an ambitious three-year target for mortgages and small-business loans in low-income areas. It's a major part of a $5 billion commitment to financial inclusion and clean energy.

An app that strives to be a "one-stop shop" for all money matters is likely to please nobody.

At a House Financial Services Committee hearing, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioned the widespread practice of screen scraping and agreed that consumers should have a more direct say over how their financial data is handled.

Whether to approve the $8 billion deal will fall to the Fed, whose board may be reshaped by President Biden in the coming months. The White House recently called for more robust scrutiny of bank acquisitions.

By acquiring Citizens Union Bancorp, the Indiana-based German American will gain 11 branches and more than $700 million of deposits in Kentucky’s largest city.

The companies each recently rolled out new contactless checkout technology as they attempt to turn Amazon Prime and Square Cash into platforms that let consumers pay for goods, save money, take out loans at the point of sale and conduct other financial services all in one place.

More than a third of installment borrowers are delinquent, according to new research. Fintechs and the banks that are following them into the market are willing to tolerate the credit risk — for now — because of BNPL’s rapid growth and the fee income from merchants.