A cashless society is all well and good. But without the option of private, untraceable payments, life would become unbearable and institutions like marriage and religion could suffer.

Prices for single-family homes climbed in almost 88 percent of U.S. cities in the fourth quarter as the housing recovery broadened.

Commerce Bancshares in Kansas City, Mo., has promoted John Kemper to president and chief operating officer. The $22.2 billion-asset company said Friday that Kemper succeeds his father, David, who remains its chairman and chief executive.

Flagstar Bancorp (FBC) has set aside $161 million to cover lawsuits over its mortgage-underwriting practices.

Ally Financial, the second-largest remaining investment by the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program, will repay the U.S. by 2014 on the strength of its auto-finance business, CEO Michael Carpenter said.

As the New York company books more loans, it is also relying less on mortgage-backed securities.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – SESLOC FCU has installed surcharge-free ATMs in Spencer’s Fresh Markets in Santa Maria and Morro Bay.

RENTON, Wash. – Alaska USA FCU has opened an in-store branch in the Safeway east Bremerton.

Kathleen Craig, a Michigan community banker and mother of two, has created a mobile app that teaches children to save.

Generation Mortgage has unveiled a new platform for originations called Orchestrator, which it says is an Internet-based system that improves service for companies that originate loans on Generation's behalf.

First Northern Bancorp (FNRN) of Dixon, Calif., is nearly halfway out of the Treasury Department's Small Business Lending Fund.

The Federal Reserve issued an enforcement action against a Montana bank holding company and lifted one from the parent of a recovering Texas bank. Both moves mirror actions by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency toward the companies' banking units.

Smaller banks cannot afford to support high-density branch networks as economic challenges persist.

Missouri and Utah join a list of seven other states where lawmakers are considering whether to ban the check-out fees.

Fierce competition, a run-up in prices, and an expected jump in interest rates in the years ahead could spell bad news for banks that hold multifamily loans on their balance sheets. Cheap financing from Fannie and Freddie is also fueling concerns of a bubble.

Colonial American Bank wants to move its headquarters and switch its state charter to New Jersey from Pennsylvania.

NUVO Bank in Springfield, Mass. Plans to raise up to $5 million in capital.

The story of Barings speaks to another era, but also to banking's eternal vulnerabilities.

Fourth-quarter interest income and margins rose at Park Sterling (PSTB) in Charlotte, N.C., after an acquisition that doubled its assets.

Unlike the soon-to-be-discontinued Facebook Credits, the new Amazon Coins have a ready marketplace with consumers and merchants.