Finance

Upgrade, an online lender started by former Lending Club CEO Renaud Laplanche, will tout credit monitoring and education features to stand out in a crowded field.

The deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter, should significantly increase PacWest's operations in Southern California.

Amid a rising rate environment, political uncertainty and rising delinquency, credit unions can still take steps to protect their bottom lines.

Arizona, Nevada, Florida and North Carolina have lost more banks than other states, based on the percentage decline since 2010. Each has a unique set of reasons that goes beyond regulation and a dearth of de novo activity.

The Houston company was formed in 2009 to buy struggling banks in the wake of the financial crisis.

The company will sell five branches in Wisconsin to an unnamed buyer. It also plans to close two locations.

Coordinators of a blockchain project backed by the financial industry say they have successfully demonstrated that the distributed ledger technology can be used to syndicate, trade and make payments on leveraged loans.

Blockchain Capital wants to raise $10 million by issuing its own digital token, a method the firm says is the future for startups, VCs and everybody else.

The 2012 Jobs Act let regular Americans invest in startups, spawning a glut of crowdfunding sites offering real ownership stakes in return for cash, rather than the new smartwatches or electric skateboards available on pioneering platform Kickstarter.

Wearable payment devices are cutting edge, fast and diverse. But they are not a steady, predictable or popular consumer trend. Even so, investors see a rich opportunity to get involved in the market for wearables.

Triumph Bancorp in Texas agreed to sell its CLO management firm just months after new risk retention rules kicked in.

Artificial intelligence is steadily making its way through the payments and financial services world. The technology's usefulness for fraud detection is clear, but there are other areas where AI can have an impact.

The California company will lease space on three floors of the building, while keeping a branch at the location.

An improved state-level system could be a tremendous advantage. Working closely with a cooperative regulator, innovators large and small can rapidly test a concept within state lines.

With scammers steadily improving their techniques, CO-OP Financial Services is starting to offer artificial intelligence to police transactions initiated by online, mobile and other connected devices.

Mid Penn agreed to pay $59 million for Scottdale Bank in a deal that is expected to close in the third quarter.

The New Jersey company added a representative of Blue Harbour Group in Connecticut to its board.

The industry expects to lean on technological efficiencies this year as higher rates and dwindling refinances test their businesses.

First Bank, based in New Jersey, will pay about $27 million for Bucks County Bank in a deal that is expected to close in the third quarter.

James Lockhart, former director of the FHFA, is replacing Wilbur Ross, who resigned when he became Commerce secretary, on the New Jersey company's board.