Visa Inc. next year plans to ramp up a series of incentives for merchants and acquirers, as the world's largest payments network braces for new regulations that are expected to cost it some debit transactions.

WASHINGTON - Two Florida bank executives and one bank borrower were sentenced to federal prison Tuesday and ordered to pay nearly $100 million for attempting to defraud the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

James F. House soon will take the helm of United Security Bancshares Inc., a Thomasville, Ala., banking company that has hit hard times.

As they struggle to find new revenue sources, some community banks have latched on to a business line that once was the domain of big banks — mortgage warehouse lending. Community banker said they like the business due to a lower risk profile and because it's a natural fit with past experience in residential real-estate lending.

Thirty-three Senate Democrats said the Obama administration should "quickly and diligently" analyze industry comments to finalize a plan to help turn foreclosures into rental properties.

Reversing its longtime policy of accepting only American Express Co. cards and its own private-label card at its stores, Neiman Marcus Inc. said Thursday it will also start accepting cards backed by Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc.

Alliance Data Systems Corp. said Thursday that it has signed a new long-term agreement to issue private-label credit cards on behalf of women's clothing retailer Christopher & Banks Inc.

KeyBank said Wednesday it has appointed Rodney Drake as vice president and coordinator for its program geared towards low-income and underserved customers.

Credit quality is improving at Old Second Bancorp Inc., but the struggling company is still losing money.

Valley National Bancorp in Wayne, N.J., said its third-quarter profit rose 8.3% from the same period last year, as it made more real estate loans.

Entrepreneurs form startups to shake up the industry and bring in new ideas – a mindset that some are saying plays well with the themes behind the Occupy Wall Street protests.

When showing solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protestors, financial executives run the risk of having their message drowned out by their wealth.

Fifth Third Bank announced Thursday that Chief Risk Officer Mary Tuuk will be moving into a new role as president of the bank's Western Michigan region.

If the only thing preventing a customer exodus is the sheer hassle of switching banks, there is a real danger that one day an enterprising company or competitor will come along and solve that pain point.

Aided by a sharp drop in problem loans, Synovus Financial Corp. in Columbus, Ga., reported a third-quarter profit of $15.7 million — its first quarterly profit in more than three years.

Roughly 400 banks remain in Tarp, and it's not at all clear how they're going to get out, the special inspector general for Tarp said in a new report.

Cullen/Frost Bankers Inc. said Wednesday that third quarter earnings were nearly flat from a year earlier.

Visa Inc.'s profit rose 14% in the fiscal fourth-quarter as consumers spent more using its credit and debit cards and the volume of transactions it processed grew.

I'm hoping William Dudley would consider a meander down the street to Zuccotti Park, with the Fed's consent order against Goldman Sachs in hand. Let the crowd know that the Fed not only shares your pain, but has a few analgesics that might make you feel a bit better.

Investors say their appetite for the nation's smallest banks has waned due to market uncertainty, leading more to consider bigger community banks.