Retail & Commercial

As consolidation picks up, buyers and sellers must examine their vendor contracts to make sure terms and pricing are in their favor.

First South Bank in Washington, N.C., has replaced a small outpost with a new full service banking office in the greater Outer Banks area.

The operator of a massive mobile cramming scheme agreed to surrender more than $1.2 million in assets to settle FTC charges. The assets include several bank accounts, two luxury cars, shares in a number of startup companies and multiple luxury watches.

A report on big bank subsidies offers proof that statutory, regulatory, and industry changes have strengthened the financial system in the years since the crisis, according to Financial Services Forum chief Rob Nichols.

New OCC guidelines for the sale of consumer debt detail the steps banks must take before selling charged-off consumer loans, including making banks responsible for performing due diligence on debt buyers before a sale.

Nearly one in four U.S. banks reported they eased mortgage-lending standards for borrowers with strong credit during the second quarter.

First Internet Bancorp in Indianapolis has appointed its next chief financial officer.

On the West Coast, bankers are talking about starting new banks after a long period with scarcely any new charters, according to industry consultant and former California regulator Walter Mix. While in the aftermath of the crisis regulators seemed to have an unofficial moratorium on de novos, they now appear poised to evaluate applications on the merits, he says. Meanwhile, banks seeking approvals for mergers today can expect to be evaluated on a host of compliance matters, including unfair and deceptive acts and practices, Mix says.

In politics, every penny counts to secure a candidate's position in office. Bitcoin's low cost of acceptance, accompanied by increasing clarity from regulators over its role in campaigns, is making it a more appealing choice for accepting donations.

The Dallas Women’s Foundation has awarded $3.1 million in grants to 98 nonprofits, including Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Greater Dallas, which received $120,000 a year for three years.