Returning Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to their status as privately owned public utilities is consistent with their mandate and makes the most policy sense.

BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, raised $485 million from the sale of a stake in First Hawaiian after fetching prices at the top of the marketed range.

Bank of America, which spends about $1 billion a year handling cash, will save money and require fewer employees as more customers make payments electronically, Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said.

Sandy Spring Bancorp in Olney, Md., said that its insurance unit bought The Advantage Group, which offers personal, business and life insurance to clients in Maryland, northern Virginia and Washington.

Cash has been notoriously stubborn in light of the relentless onslaught of new payment methods, and though it has started a very slow decline, it is perhaps decades away from declaring defeat.

WSFS Financial in Wilmington, Del., has agreed to buy the assets of Powdermill Financial Solutions in Wilmington.

The startup firm Paymency is seeking to offer an API-driven "banking-as-a-platform" service to the U.S. financial services industry.

Unity Bancorp is raking in money from holding and selling 7(a) loans, but don't expect the bank to extend its operations beyond New Jersey and New York. Management learned that lesson the hard way during the financial crisis.

A proposed 50% expansion to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program would yield new opportunities for banks to finance development projects and meet their Community Reinvestment Act obligations.

Community Bank of the Chesapeake in Waldorf, Md., has handed its chief risk officer some serious additional duties. James Burke became president of the $1.2 billion-asset bank on July 28; he will remain risk chief and an executive vice president, also.

Bots have slowly begun to creep onto the online payments scene, and they could offer a whole new, simpler way to part with our cash.

Consistent marketing doesn't mean your offer gets better with each try, but it increases the odds of making a pitch when your customers are actually listening.

First Hawaiian Bank in Honolulu expects to raise up to $558 million in an initial public offering after its parent BNP Paribas Group decided to spin off the unit rather than sell it.

WASHINGTON — State bank associations threw their support behind a regulatory relief bill on Tuesday in hopes the legislation can gain traction in the Senate.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is raising concerns about potential spillover effects from depressed oil prices even as banks had sounded more optimistic. Tougher capital requirements for energy lenders could be on the horizon.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau added its voice Tuesday to a chorus of other regulators in calling for sustainable foreclosure relief when the Home Affordable Modification Program expires at yearend.

In a political season teeming with tension around income inequality, racial economic disparities and animus toward the banking industry, reforming the Community Reinvestment Act seems like it should be a cornerstone of the debate. Yet the law has been almost entirely absent from the discussion. Here's why.

Some branch deals come with added value. A case in point is the $2 billion-asset Old Second Bancorp's agreement to buy a branch in Chicago from Talmer Bancorp in Troy, Mich. in a deal that includes deposits, assets and a vice chairman.

What was true in the late 1700s, the 1970s and the 1980s is still true today: bank customers want to interact with real-life people when managing finances.

In a perfect world, better financial literacy — along with equipping bankers with ethical standards — would make the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau obsolete.