After his aggressive cost-cutting raised profits above analysts' expectations, Block's CEO aims to retool several features of Square and Cash App to enable them to operate like a "social bank."

The USDA forecasted farm profits will plunge 26% this year, potentially creating credit quality challenges for lenders.

The two companies in the largest bank merger since the 2008 financial crisis released details of their agreement. It leaves the door open for Discover to field better offers, though the payments company would pay a break-up fee of 4% if it accepts one.

In the wake of the largest U.S. bank deal in more than 15 years, industry executives offered mixed views about the prospects for more big acquisitions. They also spoke about the deal's impact on competition in the credit card business.

MainStreet Bancshares in Fairfax says it can succeed where others have run into some thorny regulatory problems by cutting out the middleware and linking fintech partners directly to its core.

Lenders collected an estimated $25 billion in additional interest income last year by raising the average margin on annual percentage rates, or the amount above the prime rate, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.