Banking

U.S. Bank was unusual in making users pay for real time person-to-person payments on Early Warning's clearXchange, a practice it's ending as other banks start to offer free transactions on the same network.

Community banks are stepping up efforts to raise cheap capital to fuel loan growth, make acquisitions and redeem pricier sources of funds.

The number of customers who obtained 10 payday loans in 2015 outnumbered those who obtained just one, the California Department of Business Oversight said in a report Wednesday.

Payments processor Vantiv and buyout firm Warburg Pincus are among suitors seeking to buy a U.S. payments business owned by Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal, according to people familiar with the matter.

While often looked upon by preceding generations as commitment-phobic and "irresponsible job hoppers" laden with severe debt, millennials who receive fair wages tend to be loyal to their employers and committed to building savings and credit, according to the latest Credit Karma Millennial Report.

Installment lenders are concerned that efforts by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to curb the most abusive and predatory practices associated with payday loans will wreak havoc on their business.

HCSB Financial in Loris, S.C., has recruited its third executive since completing a key recapitalization.

Blackmoon, a Russian financial technology startup that analyzes, screens and prices loans issued by others to sell on to investors, is opening a U.S. office to expand in the world's biggest market for non-bank lending.

Bank consolidation in 2016 continues to lag behind last year's pace, although the average deal value is considerably larger.

Millennials, who alreadymake up a third of banked consumers in America, are used to transacting life in clicks and swipes. Institutions must embrace their needs now or risk extinction.

Flushing Financial in Uniondale, N.Y., has raised $21 million in capital after selling an office building.

American National in Danville, Va., has hired the former chief financial officer at NewBridge Bancorp to oversee strategic initiatives.

North Carolina has lost more than 40% of its banks in the past decade, creating a new tier of larger institutions. More deals are expected to occur, raising questions about the pace of M&A and the fate of those bigger banks.

Banks have mainly shied away from programs that invite hackers to scrutinize their applications. But PayPal, Western Union and others who have tried them say bug bounty programs are an effective way of making apps more secure.

Medallion Bank in New York has sold nearly $100 million in prime-credit consumer loans, largely consisted of home improvement and recreational vehicle installment loans, to an unnamed buyer.

The scheme is used by borrowers who don't have enough income to qualify for a regular mortgage, so they apply for a higher-rate non-owner-occupied loan.

Chief information security officers at banks say their top priority is keeping data of all kinds (customer, employee, credit, performance, you name it) safe from attacks. They answered candidly when we asked who or what the greatest risks are.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has opened the door to experimenting with front-end credit risk transfer transactions, but it is not wide enough for some market players.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is keeping lenders in the dark about how it will ensure borrower data is secure and private under the expanded Home Mortgage Disclosure Act reporting requirements.

North Shore Bank in Brookfield, Wis., has agreed to buy Layton Park Financial Group in West Allis, Wis.