PayThink

First Niagara recently announced the acquisition of almost 200 HSBC branches in its market area. When asked if this would result in branch closures and layoffs, the chief executive of First Niagara said there wouldn't be many layoffs, because the overlapping branches would be sold rather than closed.

The passwords and other personal information of 2,001 San Francisco commuters were exposed Sunday by the hacker group Anonymous. The group has previously targeted PayPal and other financial companies.

Even card thieves can have data breaches. Much of the card data that is stolen in data breaches is resold online before it is used. Those online storefronts can be just as vulnerable to being hacked.

What if you were put in charge of regulating all credit unions? What would you do? In this, the first of a two-part series that probes these questions, I will tell you what I would do.

It's been so easy to be caught up in your own credit union's balance sheet that it's become even easier to forget the deep worries others have over theirs: your members. Now is the time to not just remind yourself but to put into practice one of the key reasons for being: to help those "Everyday Joes" not spend every day worrying.

The Social Security numbers of 75,000 people were exposed in a data breach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Many banks frustrated by elusive loan and revenue growth are exploring the mergers and acquisitions market — however tentatively — in the hope of improving earnings through cost savings. The pivotal question is how to avoid overpaying for the savings.

Regulators should be aware of the role banks play in steering these products into pension, endowment and foundation portfolios.

The reality is sinking in.

There is a particular segment of the underbanked population that every financial institution should focus on. Young adults, defined as anyone between the ages of 18 and 25, represent a valuable segment of potential customers for a couple of reasons.