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MasterCard is pushing merchants to upgrade their checkout systems to handle credit and debit cards that store information inside an embedded chip.

Merchants are adamant that any initiative in the United States for accepting chip cards backed by the EMV security standard establish the chip-and-PIN method — instead of the chip-and-signature option that Visa supports.

NBC Bancshares LLC in Lincoln, Neb., has completed its purchase of a controlling interest in a unit of Capitol Bancorp Ltd.

Citigroup came under political fire Monday for reporting frequent flier miles as taxable income in certain circumstances. But Sen. Sherrod Brown, who blasted Citi, had to back away from the criticism after the IRS came to the aid of the banking company.

To absorb a large warehouse operation would require purchasing the whole bank, not just the warehouse business.

I recently recounted a personal story to a bank's management team that I've shared frequently over the years. I tell it to drive home the point about the importance of eliminating "clutter" that accumulates in our organizations over time. As the group laughed, I assured them that, sadly, this was a true story.

Regulators have terminated two cease-and-desist orders against a small Los Angeles commercial bank after a recapitalization effort and a management shakeup.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released its first semi-annual report to Congress on Monday, outlining the steps it has taken to get the bureau off the ground in its first six months.

CenterState Banks Inc. posted its first quarterly profit since mid-2011 because of bank acquisitions.

Republic Bancorp and the FDIC seemed to have put last year's legal tussle to rest after reaching an agreement to transfer ownership of Tennessee Commerce Bank.

Banks are pulling a page out of the past and expanding personal installment lending — in part to avoid the regulatory burdens in other markets.

The Minneapolis bank said Monday it has a deal to buy UMB's corporate trust business in Indiana. The move jibes with CEO Richard Davis' interest in niche acquisitions.

Frank Petrilli's longtime association with units of Toronto-Dominion has some observers wondering whether he might orchestrate a deal involving his old mates.

The video-game industry is amping up its defenses after hackers penetrated numerous payments systems last year. Banks could learn from watching.

The race for the exits is intensifying among big banks that purchase mortgages from correspondent lenders, creating liquidity issues for loan originators and radically reshaping mortgage servicing.

Sound Financial Inc. in Seattle is planning to take the second step to convert from a mutual holding company to an entirely stock one.

Christopher Willis, a litigation partner at Ballard Spahr LLP who defends banks in consumer finance cases, insists that prevention can still head off most problems. Following are pointers for banks that were pieced together from a discussion with Willis about his firm's watchlist for avoiding documentation troubles.

Banks, collections agencies face a rising tide of challenges that echo the mortgage market's documentation scandal.

Bank of America Corp. intends to shake up its investment-banking leadership and name Christian Meissner to be sole head of that business, said people familiar with the situation.