Retail & Commercial

As the search and advertising giant prepares to close Google Compare, banks should take note of two major lessons: even a well-known brand name doesn’t guarantee a smash hit. And two, online credit applications — which can be advertised on such lead generator services — need to be easier to fill out.

Having served as a holdover since her term expired last spring, Debbie Matz announced she will be departing the agency at the end of next month.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is clamping down on student loan lenders and servicers that automatically default on loans when a co-signer declared bankruptcy or dies. Because private student loans are often sold and securitized, some companies' promises to eliminate so-called "auto defaults" are not being upheld.

Peoples Bancorp in Marietta, Ohio, has obtained a $15 million credit line and has paid off an earlier loan.

Southwest Bancorp in Stillwater, Okla., and LegacyTexas Financial Group in Plano have disclosed exposure to a commercial borrower that faces criminal and civil investigations.

Regulators want to know how banks are planning for the future, particularly in the face of competitive threats such as marketplace lending and added scrutiny over the use of third-party vendors.

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman alerted consumers on Wednesday about collection and financial scams circulating in the state. The scams often target seniors, students and first-generation Americans.

One of the defendants in the IWorks scheme that allegedly took more than $280 million from consumers via deceptive trial memberships for bogus government-grant and money-making schemes has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges.

In focusing on private blockchains, banks make the same mistake companies made in the nineties when they favored private information networks over the open protocols of the Internet.

Investors have punished most energy lenders since oil prices began sliding more than a year ago. Despite a recent rally, stocks of publicly traded banks with at least 3.5% of loans tied to the energy sector have fallen by 18% since early 2015. The KBW Nasdaq bank index is down 13% over that time. Here is a look at the worst-performing energy lenders in the past year and one exception to the rule.