Investment

Dueling blockchain stories — one arguing it was virtually useless, the other saying it could change real estate lending — seized the top spots this week, while readers also focused on tax reform aftermath and a key Senate retirement.

Overstock CEO and Wall Street gadfly Patrick Byrne wants to create a market free from trading practices he has long decried.

Twenty-two trade groups, including seven financial trade groups, sent a letter to House lawmakers calling for new data security standards that would preempt state law.

Readers react to President Trump considering a credit union regulator to head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, debate a delay for top banking nominees, opine on the value of blockchain, and more.

San Francisco-based Arxan Technologies, which got its start in 2001 providing security tools to protect gaming and medical-device applications, says financial services companies are one of the fastest-growing sectors seeking help in barricading their mobile apps from hackers.

In adding Martin Pfinsgraff, until recently the OCC's deputy comptroller for large-bank supervision, and retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Linda Medler, a cybersecurity expert, the regional bank says it is trying to build a board with expertise in fields of timely interest.

The people-helping-people model proffered by LendingClub and others quickly foundered, but several startups aim to bring it back with the help of distributed ledger technology.

The New York company, which offers loans and provides personal finance advice, plans to expand its product line and invest in new technology with the funds.

After 10 years of development, nobody has come up with a use for blockchain that has been widely adopted.

The world’s biggest chipmakers and software companies, including Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp., are coming to grips with a vulnerability that leaves vast numbers of computers and smartphones susceptible to hacking and performance slowdowns.