Retail & Commercial

The number of community banks under enforcement actions fell in January, as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. ended 16 orders and issued five on the month.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is raising another round of questions about a lawyer who works for the New York attorney general, which has sued the company over the mortgage conduct of Bear Stearns.

Startups are trying to reinvent the much-maligned payday loan, using Big Data to develop algorithms that can better predict who will default so they can cut the price of short-term, small-dollar credit. But consumer advocates continue to object to these products. Banks have an opportunity to partner with these new entrants, but reputational risk may discourage them from doing so.

First South Bancorp in Washington, N.C., is purging a series of bad loans.

Bank of Commerce Holdings (BOCH) in Redding, Calif., has elected two directors after the death of its chairman.

Shareholders of NewBridge Bancorp (NBBC) have authorized a series of changes to the Greensboro, N.C., company's stock related to a recently completed $56 million capital raise.

United Community Banks in Blairsville, Ga., has amended its fourth-quarter and 2012 results to reflect a legal settlement.

The National Grocers Association said its board voted to opt out of a multibillion-dollar antitrust settlement with Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. over merchant fees.

Forcing the networks to let merchants surcharge for card payments will remove the advantage of retailers that accept only cash or other alternatives such as Bitcoin.

At the Apple Store, people don't pay the same way they do everywhere else. They swipe cards on mobile devices and accept emailed receipts instead of printed ones. Now that Google is reportedly kicking the tires on a retail store concept, maybe it can do the same, putting Google Wallet in the spotlight.