Retail & Commercial

Metro Bancorp, which has been fielding calls to sell itself for nearly a year, disclosed that CEO Gary Nalbandian will take a medical leave to undergo bypass surgery. Metro's executive team will be tasked with an ongoing effort to improve performance and remain independent.

An estimated 77 million Americans have a debt in collections, or about 35% of consumers with credit files or data reported to a major credit bureau, according to a joint study, which noted that the positive impact of collections is expected to increase.

U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis has appointed Amy Hurd as head of its in-store and on-site banking division.

WASHINGTON — In expansive comments, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray provided new details Tuesday about proposals due soon from the agency while offering insights into an internal battle over easing a key mortgage rule. He only briefly touched on debt collection rules.

Many colleges partner with banks to offer their students special accounts through exclusive bank-school marketing arrangements. Unfortunately, the benefits afforded to students through these accounts are grossly overstated, while the potential harm the arrangements cause can be significant.

A sweepstakes operator is permanently banned from direct mail marketing and is liable for a $9.5 million judgment under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, which charged her with violating a previous court order by running a sweepstakes scam.

Websites are the old dog compared with mobile, but www.yourbank.com still has some life left in it in some eyes. Here is a sampling of Web features lauded in a recent survey of 16 banks' sites.

Many colleges partner with banks to offer students special accounts. Unfortunately, the benefits of these accounts are grossly overstated and can even cause harm.

Big banks and institutional investors picked up the pace of loan approvals for small businesses in January, while small banks and alternative lenders continued to see their approval rates decline, according to a monthly lending index.

Zions Bancorp will revise its fourth-quarter earnings downward to reflect recent settlement discussions tied to a "private litigation matter."