Merchant

The sharp nationwide drop in gas prices is allowing more U.S. consumers to stay current on their debts, according to a new report from the American Bankers Association.

Retail businesses require expansion, in terms of increasing physical locations or getting more customers into the store. But there are several other ways of boosting profits that involve payments management and analysis, though these are often overlooked by most owners.

Leaders of smaller banks optimistic about the growth prospects of small-business loans in 2015, but they are equally worried about increased competition from larger banks, nonbanks and credit unions.

Apple's reputation as a negotiator is rather simple—it doesn't negotiate. But Strategic Resource Management, a negotiation company with 200 clients in financial services, contends issuers and merchants have a chance to win more favorable terms with Apple.

The leak of client records at Morgan Stanley illustrates the danger posed when just one employee has unauthorized or unsecured access to sensitive information, as well as the ongoing threat to financial institutions from insider theft.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., plans in 2015 to continue her focus on student loan debt and the potential long-term problems it poses to the economy despite now facing a Republican-controlled Congress.

Columbia Financial International Inc. announced Wednesday it is awarding $50,000 in grants to the collection industry to be used for education in Fair Debt Collection Practices Act regulations.

Connecticut regulators have fined the head of a Native American tribe and the two payday loan companies it owns a total of $1.5 million for allegedly violating a state cap on interest rates.

U.S. bankruptcy filings totaled 910,090 in 2014, a 12% drop from the 1,032,572 filings in 2013, according to data from American Bankruptcy Institute, provided by Epiq Systems Inc.

Tablet-based point of sale and other integrated payment systems are advancing quickly, but there are some obstacles in the road to domination—particularly for providers that didn't plan ahead for EMV-chip cards in the U.S.