Retail & Commercial

President Obama lauded the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Thursday for cracking down on high interest rate, short-term loans while defending the agency against attempts to defang it.

The $24 billion-asset company said in a press release Thursday that Robert Holmes will become president and chief executive of its St. Louis market on March 31.

Toronto-Dominion Bank would consider small retail bank takeovers in the U.S. Southeast to expand its branch network on the Eastern Seaboard, Chief Executive Officer Bharat Masrani said.

The $969 million-asset company said in a press release Thursday that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency had lifted a September 2010 consent order against First National Community Bank.

Environmentalists scored a big victory with PNC's decision to reduce its exposure to mountaintop-removal coal mining, which they say causes environmental destruction and health problems. Now they plan to turn their attention to other banks.

Lower-than-expected interest rates and greater demand for purchase loans has been a boon for both mortgage lenders and the crop of new or returning players providing warehouse lines of credit.

American Express executives are shedding more light on the company's legal strategy after its recent loss in an antitrust fight with the Justice Department over merchant contracts. Hint: they are in no rush to alter the status quo.

Farm banks have enjoyed several years of robust loan volume, but declining farm income has them on guard for increases in delinquencies and more eager to use government-guarantee programs.

The credit card market gained strength in last year’s third quarter, with more new accounts and higher monthly purchase volumes across all risk categories, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest Credit Card Market Monitor.

A number of companies across the U.S. are harnessing technology to solve Americans' cash flow challenges. But there is much more to be done to bring these solutions to the millions of Americans who need them.