Banking

As banks move analytics closer to the front office, bankers need to change the way they think about the customer.

The transformation of brick-and-mortar offices into high-tech sales centers has become an urgent matter as consumers increasingly transact through digital alternatives, yet branches still generate more sales than any other channel.

Banks will leveraging the built-in camera, geolocation and identity features of phones and tablets in new and profitable ways.

Banks' security investments are rising dramatically as breaches grow more frequent and damaging.

Banks are purging paper to speed up processing like their business depends on it. The payoffs from these workflow improvements include faster processing, stronger loyalty, lower costs and higher revenue.

Profits at United Bankshares soared in the third quarter thanks largely to a recent acquisition, but credit quality weakened slightly as several commercial borrowers struggled to repay their loans.

Embattled nonbank servicer Ocwen took a $100 million charge for a potential settlement of foreclosure violations and posted a third-quarter loss, but warned the final cost to settle allegations that it backdated foreclosure notices could be higher.

First United Bank in Durant, Okla., has agreed to acquire First American Bank in Purcell, Okla.

The bank's partnership with a hot payments startup comes as regulators nudge the industry to speed transactions and as some who initially resisted such calls start to embrace quicker settlement.

Jan Estep, president and CEO of Nacha, discusses the organization's revised proposal to speed transactions on the automated clearing house network and how it improves on the plan that member banks voted down two years ago.

Small lenders are hoping a new representation and warranty framework by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will offer them alternatives to loan repurchases.

Fenway Summer, a firm started by ex-regulator Raj Date, announced plans Thursday to launch its subprime credit card in the spring of 2015.

Fifth Third Bancorp in Cincinnati plans to remain in the business of providing mezzanine finance, even though a rival investment management company has hired four of its lenders.

If we hope to achieve pay equality and see more women in leadership positions, women need to ask for what they believe they deserve, and companies must change ingrained attitudes toward those who do so.

Park Sterling in Charlotte, N.C. reported lower quarterly earnings as integration costs for a recent acquisition overshadowed solid loan growth.

The Florida company's business plan relies heavily on consolidation, but management hasn't announced a deal in more than two years. CEO Gene Taylor recently told analysts that M&A remains a focus, but the company will no longer discuss the topic until it has something to announce.

Apple Pay scooped up one million payment cards in its first 72 hours, 60% of which were Visa cards, but MasterCard's chief executive still expressed optimism for the payment network's chances in the rapidly shifting mobile landscape.

Pacific Commerce Bank in Los Angeles has agreed to buy Vibra Bank in Chula Vista, Calif.

Prosecutors in California settled a consumer fraud case with Debt Free Associates LLC and are now urging eligible clients to seek the refunds they are owed, Monterey County (Calif.) District Attorney Dean Flippo said.

Subprime auto loan delinquencies have risen to levels that are higher than before the financial crisis and aren’t rising at the same pace as loans to others, Citigroup analysts wrote in a report, without citing specific issuers.