Bank technology

Add Citigroup to the growing list of banks that are offering all-digital, no-fee checking accounts.

Two small U.S. banks will begin offering an alternative remittance option. The development may signal a new era of competition in foreign exchange, but some critics see danger.

Thirty-five fintech startups demonstrated their products Tuesday in New York. Each had seven minutes to pitch to the 1,450 attendees. Here are the ideas that stood out.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) reached a deal with prepaid-card firm Green Dot Corp. (GDOT) to offer checking accounts to the retailer's customers, building on an expansion into financial services that U.S. banks have sought to block.

Fifth Third Bancorp has combined several business divisions into a new unit focused on payments, as the Cincinnati company continues its gradual exit from its former payments unit, Vantiv.

Kabbage will offer online personal loans starting this week as it expands its product lineup and tries to compete head-on with the likes of Lending Club and Prosper Marketplace.

Can gaming make credit card purchases fun? At least one community bank is delivering its marketing via a mobile game. SimpliSavvy, Bank of Hawaii's new app, comes as banks across the nation are trying to capture more credit card business.

Private banks that fail to embrace information technology and mobile services are at risk of becoming "dinosaurs," says an executive at ABN Amro.

Apple Pay's impact will be mitigated by the limited availability of near-field communication terminals and by consumer concerns about the safety of NFC technology.

Regulators would like banks to use their mobile banking services to reach the unbanked and underbanked. Some, including Southern Bancorp and BBVA Compass, are working to create mobile features that will help them compete with check cashers and payday lenders.

Apple's long-anticipated move into mobile payments seemed to cover all the bases — Apple Pay will launch with the support of major banks, card networks and retailers. But there were several things that didn't make it into the first version of its mobile wallet.

Regulators are developing joint standards for cybersecurity, testing special exam procedures and helping banks assess their own readiness, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg said at American Banker's 4th Annual Regulatory Symposium. That's a good thing because community bankers said they need a lot of help.

Cathy Bessant says a cancer diagnosis a few years ago got her thinking about the legacy she hopes to create. So she accelerated her longtime plan to establish a scholarship for women in rural areas of Michigan, women with backgrounds just like hers. Bank of America’s global technology and operations executive aims to pay forward the help she received.

As M&T Bank's chief information officer, Michele Trolli is leading an overhaul of its anti-money laundering systems. She also has a sideline in finding homes for orphaned polar bears.

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If the Apple Watch catapults wearable computers into the mainstream, as some observers expect, banks will be tasked to reimagine the way they provide financial services features to their customers.

As regulators emphasize the importance of data integrity, chief data officers need to consider new strategies to ensure that all bank employees are on the same page about improving information quality.

Though Home Depot's recent data breach compromised 56 million payment cards, more than the 40 million in Target's incident, the company isn't predicting a hit to revenue.

Mint, a personal finance platform, has added support for the Touch ID fingerprint recognition technology built into iOS 8-enabled Apple devices.

Americans are still looking for the same fundamental services from their banks. It's their expectations of convenience and accessibility that have changed — and that's where digital offerings should come in.