Retail & Commercial

The odds are stacked against anyone who uses the telephone to make a living. Before you get a word in, people are quoting bits and pieces of anti-collection propaganda - and they often are misinformed.

The Mortgage Bankers Association lowered its 2014 origination estimate after a disappointing March report on home sales.

Mobile wallets and mobile point of sale systems have tried many tactics to win over merchants by cutting costs. Some vendors have been extremely inventive in how they push cheaper payment options.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank signed a $100 million memorandum of understanding that promotes American businesses operating in the region.

The San Francisco bank is mainly counting on organic loan growth and improved asset quality to drive future profits, but it would also be open to acquisitions, especially in the credit card in wealth management businesses.

Distressed homeowners who obtained loan modifications fell to approximately 42,000 in February, a 5% decrease from the month before and a sign that the number of borrowers needing assistance is declining, according to the Hope Now Alliance.

JPMorgan Chase reported a 19% drop in net income for the first quarter, highlighting how much the lackluster economy and mounting regulations have cut into banks' ability to boost profits.

A South Dakota-based payday lending operation settles charges after using tribal affiliation to illegally garnish wages.

JPMorgan Chase said Friday it significantly downsized its mortgage operations while increasing the price on high loan-to-value loans to reflect higher default and servicing costs.

People who lack a credit or work history in the United States may have trouble getting a mortgage under the new qualified-mortgage rule, bankers say. A number of immigrants are self-employed, which makes it even harder to qualify.