Banking

The removal of costly appraisal requirements on tens of thousands of smaller commercial properties could help community banks better compete for loans they say they have been losing to nonbank lenders.

Preferred Bank's experience with an apartment developer is a reminder of how important strict underwriting terms will be as loan demand increases, rates rise and lenders try to outdo each other.

Payment collections will never be easy, but the availability of so much data and the means to make meaningful sense out of it with AI and advanced analytics is helping collections firms be more efficient and smart about their interactions, writes Scott Kendrick, vice president of marketing at CallMiner.

Costs rose at the global bank, profit in North America fell 16% and questions are mounting for new CEO John Flint ahead of the release of his strategic plan.

The bank’s head of global capital markets is joining a private equity firm; Jefferies mortgage bond trader is freed from prison.

The information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the Web. Today: Instagram adds payments; Alipay introduces money market funds for spare change; Ireland plans a fintech census; Reddit will resume bitcoin payments; California gets more cyrptocurrency ATMs.

Readers applaud acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Mick Mulvaney’s cost-cutting ideas, slam recent calls for postal banking, opine on banks limiting their business with firearms dealers and more.

Attorneys for then-President Robert Harra said he is innocent and will file an appeal. The case centers on a scheme said to have been carried out during the crisis years, before the bank was sold to M&T.

The northern Virginia company will also gain more branches around Washington as part of the $33 million deal.

A bank that can deliver a loan decision a little faster, or ask a client to input information just once, could get a leg up on the competition. But some executives are skeptical of software sales pitches and fear overpaying.

Leader Bank says it can land property managers as commercial clients by helping them handle tenant deposits — and possibly create opportunities to boost CRE lending.

A longtime Disney employee shares lessons on how the legendary company empowers employees, who in turn provide a great experience that builds loyalty.

A New Jersey community bank has launched a campaign that takes digs at the megabank while highlighting its own values. Should others follow its lead?

Though the prospects for these small banks look good in 2018, they also face serious challenges, particularly in the competition for low-cost deposits against the more digitally savvy megabanks.

Fifth Third is helping babies born in Chicago today (Get it? 5-3) save for college. It's the kind of nontraditional marketing that branding experts say more banks should experiment with.

Christopher Bergstrom led Cardinal Financial when it sold itself to United Bankshares in 2017.

Retaining experienced and competent employees is a crucial but often overlooked strategy for improving bank performance.

MetLife and Prudential exceed expectations; cybercurrency desk will trade contracts linked to the digital currency’s value.

The information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the Web. Today: CBA cops to old breach; Ulster Bank's day off hurts mobile pay; Token benefits from PSD2; Ripple deepens its relationship with Standard Chartered.

The fintech wants to facilitate loans for elective surgeries, auto repairs and jewelry purchases, but regulatory uncertainty — at the state and federal levels — casts a cloud over its business model.