Banking

Two community banks recently were permitted to transfer cash to their holding companies. It could be a sign that regulators are changing their attitudes toward such payments now that banks have healthier capital levels.

Bank of Bird-in-Hand in Pennsylvania has hired a president and chief executive.

Liberty Bell Bank in Marlton, N.J., has appointed a new chief executive as it continues to work through credit issues.

After years of shedding debt, consumers are relying more on nonhousing credit to increase their purchasing power, according to a report from the New York Fed.

The Federal Reserve said it plans to oversee General Electric Co.'s finance unit in a similar manner to the way it supervises large bank-holding companies.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will let borrowers who have gone through foreclosure buy back their homes at market prices under a policy shift announced by the regulator for the two U.S.-owned companies.

FDIC third quarter report shows pop in loan buybacks and indemnifications.

CheBanca! goes further than most financial institutions to foster fintech entrepreneurs. It's not only sponsoring competitions for money and mentorship, but also working to give the young companies international exposure.

The billionaire investor George Soros is in talks to throw his support behind the peer-to-peer finance industry, which is increasingly leaning on traditional capital sources to lower its costs of funding.

University Bancorp in Ann Arbor, Mich., agreed to acquire the 20% stake in Midwest Loan Services that it doesn't already own for about $3.1 million in stock, cash and other considerations.

Regulators are urging senior bank management to spearhead the effort to improve cyber risk management. Executives would be well advised to act before fines and other enforcement actions are handed down.

Banks and thrifts earned $38.7 billion in the third quarter, a 7.3% increase from a year earlier but slightly down from the $40.1 billion earned in the second quarter, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday.

Millennials frequent independent coffee shops and farmers markets, so it stands to reason they'll see the appeal in community banks. Meanwhile, smaller lenders can court young people by appealing to their entrepreneurial spirit.

Complaints against debt collection companies logged with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rose in October, as did lawsuits citing alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Growing income inequality is said to be a major reason most consumers plan to spend the same or less than last year on holiday shopping, and it could hurt bank and credit union revenues in the fourth quarter and present them other long-term challenges.

In Bangladesh, the microfinance pioneer operates as profitable bank. But the U.S. arm, which lacks a banking license, is pursuing a different strategy.

Several chief executives of financial technology companies offered a glimpse into a coming blend of old and new technologies, and made suggestions on where bankers can best spend their time and money next year, at the recent BAI Retail Delivery show in Chicago.

Anchor Bank in Lacey, Wash., has been released from a state regulatory order.

With new bank chartering at a standstill, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has issued new guidance on de novo capital requirements and other issues in part to "demystify the application process."

Inte Q has named Steven Kietz, a veteran of financial services companies such as Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase, its president.