Bank technology

In what is being billed as an industry first, Mountain America Credit Union closed its first electronically-signed FHA mortgages Monday under the Federal Housing Administration's new e-sign policy.

Virtual currencies will benefit from government oversight that lends credibility to the market, according to the U.S. Treasury Department's top official targeting money laundering.

Banks are experimenting with smartphone-driven shopping technology that provides faster and arguably more secure digital checkouts, mobile apps integrated with shopping catalogs, in-store marketing combined with location tech efforts and digital financial advice.

A positive spin around branches will proliferate, as will talk about wearable tech. Oh, and expect tons of M&A -- between banks and nonbanks.

Square 1 Financial in Durham, N.C., is planning to hit the road to promote its planned initial public offering.

When the Target Corp. data breach was reported in December, soon followed by retailers Neiman Marcus and Michaels, public officials pounced and the financial industry took a hard look in the mirror. Federal and state officials immediately launched investigations and held hearings. Meanwhile, the industry questioned how well its electronic systems were protected, and banks and retailers squabbled. Here's a look at how government and business leaders responded to the latest scourge of computer data breaches.

Black Knight Financial Services is seeking a buyer for PCLender, one of its three loan origination systems, three years after acquiring it.

American Banker on Friday received the 2014 Jesse Neal Award for Best Website from the Association of Business Information and Media Companies.

Citigroup, which has spent the past few years rethinking its undersized U.S. branch network, on Friday unveiled plans to reformat its physical locations, starting this year in Miami. Executive William Howle explained the changes in an interview.

As many young people flee Wall Street for Silicon Valley, senior bank executives are returning to old-school recruiting tactics. Catherine Bessant, who oversees global technology and operations for Bank of America, in an interview detailed the changes she has made to attract tech talent.

American Banker held its Retail Banking 2014 conference in Orlando, FL this week. Here, in tweets, are a few of its takeaways.

Webster Bank's use of advanced alerting allows it to receive valuable, real-time feedback from its customers about how they prefer to make payments, says Greg Jacobi, senior vice president of distribution and customer experience for Webster Bank.

You might expect Manolo Sanchez, the CEO of BBVA Compass, to renounce traditional branches since his bank is spending $117 million on the online-only startup Simple. But he joined other senior bank executives in defending the branch as "still relevant."

Credit Karma has raised $85 million in equity funds from Google Capital and existing investors Tiger Global, Ribbit Capital and Susquehanna Growth Equity.

Three companies control banking in Hawaii, but they acknowledge that their dominant position could be coming to an end as the local economy changes and mainland banks can use online services to more easily compete from a distance.

Bluetooth Low-Energy technology, also known as BLE, is catching on among retailers and bankers as a way to identify customers as they enter an outlet and customize the service they receive. The question for the industry is whether Blee will overcome technological and privacy concerns and become a competitive advantage.

Cardtronics (CATM) in Houston announced Thursday a new licensing agreement with BBVA Compass that would give the bank branding rights to more than 300 automated teller machines in H-E-B grocery stores throughout Texas.

MoneyDesktop, a personal financial management vendor well-regarded for its design, announced Wednesday an expanded relationship with Moven, a digital money management service tied to a debit card that is issued by CBW Bank.

The acquisition of Simple gives the bank a platform it couldn't have built on its own, says BBVA Compass CEO Manolo Sanchez.

Community banks and credit unions are often viewed as being behind the curve in technology, but these tech efforts—either in place or in development—show that some smaller institutions can be every bit as cutting edge as the big guys.