Retail & Commercial

FirstMerit in Akron, Ohio, reported higher quarterly profit that met Wall Street expectations despite margin pressure.

South State Corp. in Columbia, S.C., struggled to increase earnings but held expenses in check after a major acquisition.

Board members at smaller banks tend to dismiss the importance of the annual self-assessment process. But as board governance attracts growing regulatory scrutiny, directors should embrace the chance to identify areas for improvement.

Americans pay three times more in medical debt to collection agencies than they pay for credit card and bank debt combined, according to a study by NerdWallet Health.

The mortgage industry has to prepare for a new breed of salesperson in millennials - that's if they can get them interested in the first place.

Arthur Levitt, a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has been named an adviser to two bitcoin companies.

Wells Fargo plans to rebrand Burdale Financial, the asset-based lender it purchased nearly three years ago from the Bank of Ireland.

S&T Bancorp in Indiana, Pa., reported higher quarterly profit that benefited from loan growth and improved asset quality.

Cheviot Financial in Cincinnati has agreed to add a director recommended by activist investor Seidman Group.

Housing policy needs to be refocused on strengthening household balance sheets, especially by making borrowersmore resilient to home price declines. A new 15-year fixed-rate mortgage that allows borrowers to use the down payment to buy down the interest rate on the loan is designed to do just that.