A cybersecurity assessment tool designed to help bankers bolster their defenses against hackers and other cybercriminals is continuing to sow confusion among bankers, with some arguing it is effectively imposing tougher standards on the industry.

Remember strategic defaulters, those homeowners who walked away from their underwater mortgages even though they could still afford their loans?

Remember those homeowners who walked away from their underwater mortgages even though they could still afford their loans? They're back, this time as prospective borrowers.

A class-action lawsuit against collection agency Delbert Services Corp., a Las Vegas-based firm working for online tribal lender Western Sky Financial, can proceed after a federal appeals court reversed a lower court’s decision that the dispute must be arbitrated.

Housing policy focused on government guarantees and the 30-year mortgage hasn't done much to help low- and middle-income homeowners build wealth.

The total amount of uncompensated care by hospitals in Minnesota rose from $573 million in 2013 to $589 million in 2014, despite a 26% drop in charity care for the uninsured, according to the Minnesota Hospital Association.

Horizon Bancorp in Michigan City, Ind., has agreed to buy Kosciusko Financial in Mentone, Ind.

Commercial BancGroup in Harrogate, Tenn., has agreed to buy NBN Corp. in Newport, Tenn., outbidding a rival in a bankruptcy court auction.

TCF Financial in Wayzata, Minn., will close 33 branches inside Jewel-Osco stores in the Chicago area.

Despite their recent growth, too few marketplace lenders are reporting data to the consumer reporting agencies, which could negative repercussions on the financial system.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

Several bankers left a high-profile meeting with the Financial Accounting Standards Board feeling more comfortable with a plan to change reserve accounting. The meeting was thrown into an abrupt recess after a FASB director and a bank lobbyist clashed over recent statements by FASB's chairman linking community banks to the financial crisis.

The House passed a bill Thursday 250-169 that would limit regulators' ability to force banks to cut ties with certain businesses despite Democratic fears that it could hamstring the Justice Department's ability to prosecute bankers responsible for the financial crisis.

Developers will now be able to access much of Visa's technology and services as the card network looks for ways to meet the demands of consumers increasingly relying on connected devices to transact.

Rather than partner with a startup, 45-year-old Equitable Bank in Canada created a separate brand, EQ Bank, to acquire customers who are ready for an account without a debit card.

Financial companies from SunTrust to SoFi will be advertising in Sunday's game — a rare sight in recent years — despite the estimate $5 million price tag.

A number of bankers used quarterly earnings calls to assure investors that they are carefully monitoring their exposure to commercial real estate at a time when regulators are expressed concern about eroding underwriting standards.

First Resource Bank in Exton, Pa., has received federal regulatory approval to exit the Small Business Lending Fund program.

The CFPB stepped up efforts Wednesday to encourage banks to offer simple checking and savings accounts, but many institutions said they are already taking steps to try to reach the underbanked.

Home sellers realized an average price gain since purchase of 11% ($20,378) last year, the biggest average price gain since 2007, according to RealtyTrac's Year-End 2015 U.S. Home Sales Report.