Retail & Commercial

Reps. John Delaney, D-Md., John Carney, D-Del., and Jim Himes, D-Conn., unveiled the outlines of a new housing finance reform plan on Thursday that would provide an explicit government backstop for the market, while requiring increased private sector participation.

Capital One Financial (COF) reported its lowest quarterly net income in a year on Thursday as margins shrunk in the company's flagship credit card business.

American Express Co., the biggest credit-card issuer by purchases, said fourth-quarter profit matched analysts' estimates.

Citigroup's core banking business showed good signs, including loan growth, but they were overshadowed by the stronger quarterly results of its rivals and questions about expense control.

Regulators' attempt to carve out an exemption for small banks from a key part of the Volcker Rule satisfied most institutions that feared getting swallowed up in the Dodd-Frank Act provision, but left others still vulnerable to the regulation and facing significant losses.

The economy is showing signs of life. But executives at PNC, Huntington and BB&T remain cautious about investing in new businesses, products or markets that raise expenses or hurt efficiency ratios.

TeleCheck Services, Inc., one of the nation’s largest check authorization service companies, along with its associated debt collection firm, TRS Recovery Services Inc., have agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Bay Commercial Bank (BCML) in Walnut Creek, Calif., has agreed to buy Bank On It Inc. (BKOT) in Stockton, Calif.

Community Trust Bancorp (CTBI) in Pikeville, Ky., posted lower profit in the fourth quarter as sanctions tied to a Federal Reserve Board investigation took a bite out of earnings.

Digital currency startup Circle Internet Financial has expanded its high-profile lineup of leaders, appointing a Goldman Sachs director to its board of directors and naming veterans from American Express and Google to its advisory board.