Retail & Commercial

North Carolina has lost more than 40% of its banks in the past decade, creating a new tier of larger institutions. More deals are expected to occur, raising questions about the pace of M&A and the fate of those bigger banks.

Medallion Bank in New York has sold nearly $100 million in prime-credit consumer loans, largely consisted of home improvement and recreational vehicle installment loans, to an unnamed buyer.

The scheme is used by borrowers who don't have enough income to qualify for a regular mortgage, so they apply for a higher-rate non-owner-occupied loan.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has opened the door to experimenting with front-end credit risk transfer transactions, but it is not wide enough for some market players.

North Shore Bank in Brookfield, Wis., has agreed to buy Layton Park Financial Group in West Allis, Wis.

Royal Credit Union on Friday said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Apple Valley, Minn., office of Deerwood Bank.

American Express Co. plans to debut an online loan platform for small-business clients this year, targeting territory occupied by startups like Square Inc. and On Deck Capital Inc.

By October of this year, ATM owners in the U.S. have to replace or upgrade their machines to accept chip cards or face liability for certain types of fraud. But the upgrade and related ongoing maintenance are so expensive that cash-machine operators like Abe Ayesh, who helps manage about 8,000 ATMs mostly on the East Coast, plans to shut down some of them.

While fintech companies are urging federal regulators to create a federal charter that would allow them to follow a single national standard instead of a myriad of state rules, such a benefit will almost certainly come with strings attached, including possible compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act.

Rather than replace bankers with technologists, bankers must return to their original role in the community: help entrepreneurs succeed through connecting capital with good ideas.