Retail & Commercial

The third quarter was marked by fewer but bigger deals. Higher prices could keep volume in check as sellers hold out for more. The fiscal showdown in Washington and related market swings could also complicate the balance of the year.

eBay's $800 million purchase of Braintree is the latest in a series of acquisitions that are steadily building PayPal into a powerhouse in mobile payments. Most of these acquisitions took place within the past two years.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. were among the banks that lost a bid to throw out a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. lawsuit over $388 million in securities sold to a failed lender.

Higher interest rates have cut into bank profits in recent months, but that was only the start of the problem for big banks. The volatility is also hurting the value of their available-for-sale debt securities, which could cost them once Basel III takes effect Jan. 1.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

The federal government has broken up a fraud ring in which a key figure was a Wells Fargo (WFC) employee who opened accounts for her accomplices.

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin in Madison has completed a $175 million recapitalization. With funding from private and institutional investors, the company has capital levels above the threshold regulators consider for being well-capitalized.

Lenders should be on the lookout for an increase in mortgage applicants who lie about their incomes, according a new quarterly report from CoreLogic.

While lawsuits citing violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) fell in August on both a monthly and yearly comparison, Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) lawsuits are rising fast, according to data from U.S. district courts.

Several institutions in one of the nation's hardest-hit banking markets have shed enforcement actions, or have hired new leaders, as they attempt to stage comebacks.