To address what one might call a "flight risk," MasterCard Inc. plans to test contactless payments at 30,000 feet, enabling airlines to accept more secure plastic — and potentially mobile — payments aboard planes.

Aided by solid loan growth, Chemical Financial Corp. in Midland, Mich., and Lakeland Financial Corp. in Warsaw, Ind., reported sharp increases in profits for the quarter that ended Sept. 30.

Acting FDIC Chairman Marty Gruenberg reiterated his agency's support for small banks, but many bankers are unsure if it will lead to real change.

TD Retail Card Services said Tuesday it will issue credit cards on behalf of outdoor power equipment manufacturer Cub Cadet.

Deposit gains hurt third-quarter profits at big banks such as Wells Fargo & Co., but they led to record profits at Signature Bank in New York.

Citigroup Inc. will continue issuing private-label credit cards for Sears Holdings Corp. and its brands, including Kmart and Lands' End, the companies said on Tuesday.

FirstMerit Corp. in Akron, Ohio, reported third-quarter earnings of $31.7 million, up about 9% year over year, thanks to increased commercial lending activity and fewer problem assets. Earnings per share were rose 7%, to 29 cents, beating analysts' estimates by a penny, according to Thomson Reuters.

West Coast Bank in Lake Oswego, Ore., has been ordered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to improve oversight of its overdraft program and reimburse customers who incurred overdraft fees last year using their debit or ATM cards.

Can "Stop.Think.Connect" become the new "Stop, Drop and Roll"? The National Cyber Security Alliance, a public-private partnership on cyber security, says its new online-banking safety slogan is necessary to educate users.

In a bid to raise fresh capital, ailing Waccamaw Bankshares Inc. in Whiteville, N.C., is selling eight of its branches in North Carolina and three in South Carolina to rival First Bancorp in Troy, N.C.

Regions Financial Corp. swung to a third-quarter profit, helped by sharply reduced credit costs for risky loans, though the lender's top line weakened from a year earlier.

CIT Group Inc. swung to a third-quarter loss as the corporate lender continued to face steep costs related to its prepayment of high-cost debt.

1st United of Boca Raton struck two deals in three days that would move it into central Florida and give it 26 branches in the state.

Morgan Stanley has agreed to sell Saxon Mortgage Services Inc. to Ocwen Financial Corp. in the latest example of Wall Street's retreat from the beleaguered mortgage servicing business.

Bankers spoke openly about their frustration with new regulations during the ABA's annual conference, with one likening it to being repeatedly punched in the head.

Reforms to Harp will remove several barriers that kept underwater homeowners from refinancing their mortgages, but analysts disagree on what kind of effect that will have on the housing market and the economy.

Rep. Scott Garrett, a New Jersey Republican who chairs the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, plans to unveil a comprehensive bill to reform the secondary mortgage market on Thursday.

Second-guessers are "short-term" thinkers who underestimate the long-term value of the customer relationships the deposits bring, CEO John Stumpf says.

Piedmont Community Bank Holdings Inc. in Raleigh, N.C., said Monday that it received regulatory approval to buy a majority stake in Crescent Financial Corp. for $75 million.

Enterprise Bancorp Inc. in Lowell, Mass., posted third-quarter earnings of $2.9 million, up almost 8% year over year, due to strong loan growth.