Retail & Commercial

The benefits of homeownership are often cited in policy debates, though it has some downsides. Following are the advantages and costs of homeownership for neighborhoods and communities, as summarized in a recent research paper by Jason Fichtner and Jacob Feldman at George Mason University.

Legislation aimed at allowing student loan borrowers to refinance their debt will return to the Senate floor for a second vote next month.

While new government guidance is intended to make banks more willing to do business with legal marijuana dealers, in practice it creates a new set of headaches for bankers.

Every day, consumers give out their credit card or bank account numbers to strangers whom they trust to take out the correct amount and safeguard their sensitive information. "That's terrifying if you really step back and think about it," says Jeremy Allaire of Circle Internet Financial.

American National Bankshares in Danville, Va., has agreed to buy MainStreet BankShares in Martinsville, Va.

Stonegate Bank in Pompano Beach, Fla., has agreed to buy Community Bank of Broward in Dania Beach, Fla.

Goldman Sachs is in the final stages of negotiating $1.1 billion settlement with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, according to a news report Friday.

Getting payment cards operating under a Single Euro Payments Area framework is the next big hurdle facing those seeking a common system in Europe.

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