Banking

More banks are considering switching to a universal banker model, where selling products and services becomes more important. The transition requires patience, planning and training.

Howard Bancorp in Ellicott City, Md., raised nearly $500,000 in capital after management and directors exercised warrants to buy common stock.

The regional Federal Reserve banks are trying to maintain momentum in their efforts to improve the U.S. payment system.

Worried that the Federal Reserve will start raising interest rates next year, many banks are reconsidering their strategies for attracting and keeping deposits — and turning to analytics software to help.

One reason so many federal thrifts have switched to other charters is that the Qualified Thrift Lender test impedes their commercial lending. However, a top regulator says he wants it eliminated.

Congressional Bancshares in Bethesda, Md., has agreed to buy American Bank Holdings in Bethesda.

The settlement requires Google to change certain billing practices and refund consumers at least $19 million.

A record number of consumers took out loans to buy cars in the second quarter, fueled by people purchasing used vehicles, according to data from Experian Plc.

Intervest Bancshares in New York has officially exited the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Foreign-born nationals with U.S. citizenship have a lot of positive attributes that make them attractive mortgage applicants. What's even better is that millions are still renters.

FIS, a banking technology and consulting company, has agreed to buy Clear2Pay, a payment processor, for approximately $493 million.

Jane Thompson, the former head of the financial services division at Wal-Mart Stores, has joined the board of OnDeck, a small business lending company in New York.

Edward J. DeMarco, who worked to shrink Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FMCC) as their U.S. overseer after the 2008 financial crisis, started a new job this week: senior fellow at the Milken Institute's Center for Financial Markets.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)'s own investigators have found clues that a global network of computers available for hire by sophisticated criminals was used to reroute data stolen from the bank to a major Russian city, according to people familiar with the probe.

The reduced pricing for Discover's signature debit card network will apply to the more than 4,000 banks that are members of the American Bankers Association.

Lennar Homes and RBC Bank have formalized their unofficial agreement to help provide mortgages to Canadians buying homes in Southwest Florida.

Leaders of large community banks in the Southeast are keen on acquisitions, though their level of interest varies widely. Some, like Home BancShares in Arkansas, are eager to line up the next big deal. Others, including Bank of the Ozarks, seem content to steal lenders and open offices after several years of acquisitions.

CrossFirst Bank in Leawood, Kansas, has opened a new division to serve the oil, gas and energy markets and hired a team of five bankers with experience in this sector.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a warning to credit card companies that use deceptive marketing to mask hidden charges within promotional interest rates.

Storing sensitive material on the Internet makes it a target for hackers, but the password gaming that appears to have been behind the theft of celebrities' photos could happen to any server, on or off the cloud.