Regions Financial in Birmingham, Ala., reported a higher third-quarter profit, citing improved fee income from mortgage lending, capital markets and credit and debit cards. It also benefited from some special items and energy-market improvements.

Many startups have taken shots at traditional banking, but few have succeeded. However, there is plenty of promise in this model, according to investor Tim Young.

Consumers voted with their feet in September, as the embattled bank said Friday that new checking accounts were down by 25% from a year earlier.

Goldman Sachs' newly launched consumer lending website is aimed at some of the very same customers that big banks and marketplace lenders covet, yet there are plenty of questions about its business plan, its ability to manage credit risk and the prospects of online lenders in general.

The 1.35% delinquency rate was the lowest since at least 2001, and it marked nearly four years of delinquencies below the 15-year average of 2.21%.

Visa, MasterCard and American Express lost an early round of a lawsuit alleging they colluded to pin liability for fraudulent transactions on merchants who didn't meet a chip-reading technology deadline.

Capital One Financial plans to start issuing credit cards for the outdoor equipment chain Cabela's under a deal connected with the retailer's expected sale to Bass Pro Shops.

The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a free-speech clash with big stakes for retailers and credit-card companies, agreeing to decide the fate of laws in 10 states that limit how merchants can describe the lower prices they charge for cash transactions.

American Express can prohibit merchants from steering customers to credit cards with lower transaction fees, a federal appeals court ruled in a case involving about $50 billion of merchant fees annually.

In 2010, lawmakers passed reforms to bring transparency and competition to a swipe fee market that had been devoid of both. Now, they want to undo that progress.