Retail & Commercial

The New York-area thrift is benefiting from an effort to make more multifamily and commercial real estate loans and has no immediate interest in selling itself, CEO Monte Redman says in a wide-ranging Q&A.

The simmering controversy over American Express' Bluebird card typifies a classic debate: When do regulations that ostensibly protect the public from shady operators really just protect incumbent businesses from competition?

C&I lending exploded at SunTrust in the third quarter, it cleared its balance sheet of some lingering problems and CEO Bill Rogers is bullish on mortgages. But the question remains whether the Atlanta company will need to do more to exorcise the past.

Independence Federal Savings Bank in Washington, D.C., has agreed to improve its practices in return for a promise by regulators to refrain from further enforcement action.

PayPal, in a recent agreement with MoneyGram International, is demonstrating once again that digital payment systems aren't fighting cash — they are fueled by it.

Signature Bank (SBNY) in New York has added to its presence on Long Island by hiring a team of private-client bankers.

The Small Business Administration said Monday that agency-guaranteed loans to exporters rose about 1%, to $923 million, for the 12 months that ended Sept. 30. The loans supported $1.7 billion in small-business exports, according to the agency.

Attention has largely been focused on merchants seeking to opt out of the deal. But if the Justice Department were to object to the agreement's terms, the judge would likely listen, observers say.

There needs to be stronger incentive for bankers to behave, far-reaching cultural changes spurred by directors and a unilateral commitment to stamp out money-laundering schemes.

A flurry of new mortgage rules are overwhelming home lenders — some they feel are too strict and others too ill-defined to decipher.