Banking

Taxpayers are getting a bargain by propping up the cash-strapped Federal Housing Administration.

Visa Inc., the world's largest payments network, said it will provide documents to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission after the agency asked for information on a debit-card service that may have violated the Durbin amendment.

Flint Mobile announced today that its mobile card-acceptance app is available to on Apple's app store.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), the biggest U.S. bank, will pay $297 million to settle U.S. regulatory claims that it violated federal securities laws in connection with billions of dollars of sales of residential mortgage-backed securities tied to subprime mortgage loans.

Mendon Capital Advisors increased its holdings in several community banks in the third quarter, while reducing its exposure to JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and other large and midsize banks.

Southwest Bancorp in Stillwater, Okla., has recruited veteran executive from BancFirst Corp. in Oklahoma City to be its new chief financial officer.

The banking giant is planning to offer a point of sale dongle that will take direct aim at rivals from Square and PayPal.

SCVNGR's LevelUp is targeting a broader audience for its mobile-payment system by working with the prepaid card marketer NetSpend. The partnership represents new territory for both companies.

Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) has hired a veteran executive from Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB) to lead its international banking business.

Wallaby Financial and Glyph have released mobile apps that help consumers decide how to pay at checkout. Banks can take part by making sure their cards have rewards and pricing that put them at the top of the list.

Junk food and beer are staples at every sports game, and the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., is adding another one: mobile payments with SCVNGR's LevelUp.

An independent audit found that the Federal Housing Administration's capital reserve ratio fell into negative territory, meaning the agency may need a bailout from the Treasury Department for the first time in its 78-year history.

The $1.1 billion-asset parent company of First Federal Savings Bank said late Thursday that First Security Bank of Owensboro has terminated a deal to buy four First Federal branches in Louisville.

If regulators continue to sting banks with overzealous enforcement actions and ill-conceived policies, they, like the scorpion in Aesop's fable, could find themselves up the creek without a frog or paddle.

Republic Bancorp (RBCAA) of Louisville, Ky., and FedFirst Financial Corp. (FFCO) of Monessen, Pa., are planning to return more of their capital to shareholders as the fiscal cliff looms.

The Senate late Thursday confirmed the top two senior officials to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. following months of uncertainty.

The world's most popular web publishing platform has begun accepting Bitcoin, an international digital currency and payment system with no central issuing authority.

A bill to protect the nation's critical infrastructure from cyberattacks has again failed to clear a congressional hurdle.

First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG) is expanding its mortgage operations. The Buffalo, N.Y., company is scheduled to open a processing center next month in Syracuse and hire more than two dozen employees to staff it.

First Mariner Bancorp said it had called off plans to sell a minority stake in itself to Priam Capital Fund I after determining that it could improve its capital levels with retained earnings.