Bank technology

Calls with analysts to discuss the fourth-quarter results were dominated by questions about energy exposure, efficiency and the growing worry about when the next credit cycle may begin. Still, some banks managed to get in a few thoughts about how technology is reshaping their businesses.

A new class of fintech startups is using loan applicants' social networks to determine creditworthiness as the banking industry debates the merits of alternate underwriting methods.

Progressives' push for a more drastic overhaul of the industry ignores post-crisis changes that have had an undeniably positive effect.

A service that used to be a no-brainer for banks is now hampered by limited revenue and a hard-to-justify cost structure.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

Digital Asset Holdings, the blockchain technology startup led by Wall Street veteran Blythe Masters, has raised more than $50 million in funding and expanded its board, the company said Thursday.

The financial technology accelerator Startupbootcamp FinTech in New York has formed partnerships with Deutsche Bank, a law firm and a venture capital firm to advise its participants.

Subtly altered versions of popular apps are appearing more often on smartphones. These rogue apps, often available for free, can steal mobile banking passwords or redirect text messages containing passcodes.

Money-laundering episodes included a purported Whitey Bulger associate looting a church's coffers and the arrest of a Houston socialite on gambling-related charges.

Fiserv in Brookfield, Wis., has agreed to buy the community financial services business of ACI Worldwide for $200 million in cash.

Millennials may have initially been the primary target for digital banking services, but we must bust the myth that they're the only ones craving innovation.

Union Bank & Trust Co. in Nebraska was an early supporter of Apple Pay. With that platform sputtering, the bank is now looking at additional ways to stay ahead of the mobile-wallet curve.

BlueVine, a Palo Alto, Calif., firm that is aiming to modernize the invoice-financing business, announced a new fundraising round on Wednesday.

International money transfers have not enjoyed the improvements in transparency and cost that are benefiting other products. That must change to move the remittance market forward.

Online lenders like Aprenita, Payability and Pollen VC have all launched within the last 13 months to fill a need they say is not being met by traditional banks, and only partially by venture capitalists and invoice-financing companies.

Consumers say they consider mobile banking unsafe even as they increasingly use it, assuming they can do nothing to protect themselves from the escalating threats. Banks can't afford to be so fatalistic.

PayPal co-founder and technology investor Peter Thiel is part of a $3.5 million investment in former PayPal executive Eric M. Jackson's cloud-based business technology startup.

Labor-intensive cross-marketing programs, which were beyond the scope of small marketing departments, are suddenly feasible thanks to automation.

Still facing revenue challenges, Regions, PNC and U.S. Bank vowed to reduce overhead in 2016. The cuts are less about bolstering short-term returns than funding investments in cutting-edge technologies or new products and services to remain competitive.

Biometrics are seen as the future of authentication, but some customers hesitate to ditch old ways. Picking the most practical pain points — like authenticating over the phone — is banks' best bet to win converts, observers say.