Retail & Commercial

Two people found guilty of orchestrating an elaborate tax fraud and identity theft scheme involving a collection agency were sentenced to prison terms on Friday.

Capital One drew both attention and controversy for a recent commercial, in which Samuel L. Jackson uses a mild profanity to advertise a credit card. American Banker editors discuss how banks can stand out in their marketing without angering customers or incurring reputational damage.

The $1 billion-asset company is looking to sell its branch in Ponte Vedra Beach for $3.5 million, the Jacksonville Business Journal reported Monday.

Activist investors continue to stir up community banking and M&A. ISS advised Hampden Bancorp shareholders to support an investor group that wants to push the thrift to sell itself, but Egan-Jones says the new CEO deserves more time.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is treading a fine line between protecting individuals from wrongdoing and acting as if it knows what's good for them. American Banker staffers discuss how behavioral economics is shaping its policy decisions.

Nearly half of the large banks surveyed said mortgage applications were either "moderately" or "substantially" lower, according to a Fed survey released Monday.

Banks should allow more time for less-stringent pricing models and video-teller ATMs to permeate the industry as consumers wean themselves from conventional, face-to-face interaction with tellers.

The CFPB has referred at least three auto lenders to the Justice Department for further investigation into possible fair lending violations, even as lawmakers continue to question the agency's authority.

The Treasury Department plans to auction seven more lenders' Troubled Asset Relief Program shares, with a total face value of about $90 million.

When it comes to saving, today's young Americans see themselves as more ant than grasshopper. That's the conclusion of a new survey from America Saves, a nonprofit that asked more than 1,000 Americans about their personal saving goals.