The Buffalo bank recently shelved in-house startup GrowGrade and folded another, Nota, back into the mothership.

Looking back at the year, this is how they impacted the financial services industry.

From embedded finance to artificial intelligence to real-time processing, there are plenty of sources of competition and opportunity in the new year.

Fintech lenders often get criticized for high rates or fees on their consumer lending. But there's an argument to be made that the alternatives are worse.

Economists say the U.S. economy is leaving 2024 healthy, with unemployment low, inflation manageable and growth robust. Unknown variables — including the depth and scope of President-elect Donald Trump's immigration and tariff policies — could change that course, but likely not until 2026.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s decision to weigh civil lawsuits against Silicon Valley Bank executives to recover losses to its Deposit Insurance Fund isn't rare in itself, but the bipartisan nature of the move and size of the failed institution suggest a current that isn't changing with the presidential administration.

Proposals to streamline U.S. banking regulators have resurfaced with the Trump administration's focus on efficiency, but experts and history suggest such changes are unlikely amid political and industry resistance.

There are many ways for the incoming administration to overturn the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's final rule slashing overdraft late fees to $5. But the politics of nullifying the rule is a challenge to an administration that promised lower prices.

Known as a pragmatic moderate before arriving at the Fed, Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr is now synonymous with an aggressive and divisive approach to bank regulation. Can he still accomplish his goals under President Trump?

President-elect Donald Trump may opt to bypass Democratic suggestions for minority party seats on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s board of directors, setting up potential conflicts with Senate leadership over regulatory appointments.

A new question field on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's consumer complaint form is tied to an advisory opinion on customer service related to customers' requests for information, industry experts say.

The industry hopes that the bigger hurdles to bank mergers under President Biden will fade in the new administration. But populist opposition to consolidation in the tech sector could spill over into banking.

Telcoin is seeking to become the first chartered bank under Nebraska's Digital Asset Depository Institutions regime. Its CEO believes it can become a regulated bridge between crypto and banking.

Donald Felix, who spent a quarter century at some of the nation's largest banks, took the helm at Carver Bancorp last month. Felix is devising a plan to return the 76-year-old Black-managed company to profitability.

The availability and visibility of Bank On-certified accounts, which aim to expand banking access, is contributing to a decrease in the percentage of U.S. households that are unbanked, according to bankers and government officials.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a proposal to protect consumer data privacy and categorize data brokers that sell sensitive consumer data as "consumer reporting agencies" under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a move that could garner bipartisan support.

Wall Street has cheered President-elect Trump's selection of Scott Bessent to lead the Treasury because of his moderating influence and expertise, but his profile as an establishment figure in an anti-establishment administration could undermine his authority.

The president-elect had billed his hardline stance on the border and promised deportations as a solution to tight housing markets. Experts say those policies, at least in terms of housing, could do more harm than good.

While companies tend to amp up warnings to consumers about fraud and scams during the holidays, institutions may also need to bulk up their defenses.

Esusu, Foyer, Divvy Homes and Tomo Mortgage are among the fintechs trying to give first-time homebuyers a break, alongside community development financial institutions like Southern Bancorp.