It's a substance that literally grows on trees, and is just as compostable. But like any other proposed alternative to first-use plastic, wood comes at a premium to any issuers that want to adopt it.

Any approval of the proposed Capital One-Discover merger must come with a pro-competitive 1% interchange fee condition to benefit consumers and small businesses and challenge the dominating duopolist Visa, and a pro-community 5% deposit reinvestment condition.

Banking regulators and the Department of Justice must decide whether the blockbuster deal raises antitrust concerns. Looming over their analyses are questions about how broadly or narrowly to define the relevant markets.

A federal appeals court is putting the transfer of a lawsuit challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on hold pending the outcome of a hearing on the suit's appropriate venue.

Judge Mark T. Pittman sided with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in ordering the case be moved from Texas to the District of Columbia due to "forum shopping."

The potential deal between the major card networks and merchants would see swipe fees reduced and capped for at least three years, pending approval by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to release neutral credit card pricing data in the coming months to help consumers get the best deal, according to Director Rohit Chopra. Deceptive reward programs, late fees and data portability remain concerns, too, he says.

Banks, especially big ones, have become too dependent on hidden-fee income. As the consumer credit market evolves toward greater transparency, the CFPB's rules will be the least of their problems.

At an American Bankers Association event, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who's up for reelection this year, said that he hopes the Durbin-Marshall credit card bill won't go anywhere and criticized the Federal Reserve's debit interchange proposal.

Credit card late fees are annoying, but that's why they work as a disincentive to prevent late payments. By making them much smaller, the CFPB will actually be working against the interests of low-income consumers.