Retail & Commercial

Bankers appear set to get their long-awaited rate rise, but the top executives of the biggest banks still have lukewarm expectations for the coming year, according to forecasts laid out by the top brass from JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, PNC and others.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Calvin Hagins warned mortgage lenders about the regulatory agency's four exam priorities for next year: loan-officer compensation, steps taken to ensure borrowers' ability to repay, compliance with "Know Before You Owe" consumer disclosures, and marketing services agreements.

Debt buyer PRA Group announced that Brad Embree was named to the 2015 Virginia Legal Elite, an annual list of top lawyers in Virginia as voted on by peers.

Small-business owners' optimism about the economy is dwindling, which casts a dark cloud over banks' lending efforts, according to a new survey conducted by Wells Fargo and Gallup.

Why a small bank like First Mid-Illinois ignored the conventional wisdom — 'Commercial banks buy property/casualty firms.' 'Private-equity will outbid you.' 'Leave the innovation to the big guys.' — and bought a retail health-insurance agency.

Ex-banker Frank Rotman, now a venture capitalist who focuses on marketplace lending, has a unique vantage point on the competition for small-business loans between banks and Web-based upstarts, as well as on both sides' strengths and weaknesses.

TransUnion Healthcare announced that its eScan healthcare service has identified more than $1 billion in insurance payments and helped hospitals recover more than $500 million in payments for unpaid medical services in the last three years.

Two recent Justice Department settlements, one with a large nonbank mortgage lender and the other with a small one, speak volumes about how much Federal Housing Administration lending has changed.

Outstanding consumer credit, a reflection of all debt besides mortgages, rose $15.98 billion or at a 5.5% annual rate in October, the Federal Reserve said Monday.

WASHINGTON — More than 442,400 consumers were affected by the Oct. 12 glitch that froze RushCard users' funds after a payment processor switch, the company told lawmakers.