Discover Financial Services reported a 7% drop in quarterly earnings on Tuesday, driven by rising expenses, a growing loss provision and shrinking yields in its flagship credit card business.

Costco Wholesale Corp. has attained a goal that retailers have sought for years: near-zero expenses for credit-card payments.

First-quarter results from U.S. Bancorp and PNC Financial Services Group shows banks have little choice but to wait until the Fed raises interest rates. They have cut expenses almost as far as they can go, and fee income is limited in how much it can offset narrower spread income.

MasterCard Inc. and Target Corp. are in talks about a settlement in which the retailer would pay banks about $20 million for costs they incurred in its 2013 data breach, a person familiar with the matter said.

Marketplace lenders are aggressively marketing their loans as a way to refinance expensive credit card debt. And with more affordable interest rates and faster loan application processes, there's reason to believe that firms like Lending Club and SoFi will beat out banks.

Merchants are making a new argument in their years-long battle with banks over swipe fees, saying Apple Pay has locked them out of additional routing options mandated by Dodd-Frank.

Industry groups are crying foul over how a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposal to regulate prepaid cards would affect overdraft services and treat virtual currencies.

FICO and two data partners are testing a credit score based on alternative data that could help banks take smarter risks on borrowers with limited credit histories, but bankers' cost concerns and adherence to traditional methods present big hurdles.

Retailers have been able to get credit card surcharge bans in California and New York thrown out by using an unusual legal argument based on the First Amendment. The wins are significant, but merchants still need to fight through a legal thicket before card surcharges become practical.

It's looking more likely that a judge will have to impose a fix that will bring American Express' merchant rules into compliance with federal law.

Banks charge merchants a quarter each time customers swipe their debit cards — even though the mean cost of processing debit-card purchases has fallen to 4.4 cents. The Federal Reserve should ensure that the falling cost of debit-card processing is matched by lower fees.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Tuesday that it's seeking public comment ahead of a second study on the credit card market that could pave the way for new regulations or enforcement actions.

Community banking groups have recently struck referral deals with marketplace lenders that could add revenue in the short run, but they might be giving away potentially valuable data and customers in the process.

Banks can expect to incur higher costs in several areas during the implementation of a settlement agreement to improve the accuracy of credit reports. But they might benefit in the long run by getting better information on borrowers.

Lucrative sale of a subprime lending unit. Big credit card deal. Clear business plan. It's looking like a good year for Citi — provided it passes the CCAR stress test this week and fills a key executive post.

Industry groups are urging the Pentagon to soften its proposed expansion of a rate cap on loans sold to service members, but banks face opposition from dozens of advocacy groups that favor tougher restrictions.

Costco has picked Visa as its new payment card network and Citigroup as the new issuer of its cobranded credit cards.

A court-imposed deadline for American Express to negotiate a fix to its merchant rules with the Department of Justice is about three weeks away. Odds of a deal are said to be low, heightening uncertainty — and fueling debate — about how the showdown will affect the future of the credit card business.

Prosper Marketplace, an online lender for consumer loans, has found a new source of referrals: community banks.

It's easy for banks to spin their wheels on local reinvestment, financial education and other efforts to help underserved communities. To make outreach programs successful, bank executives need to carefully vet nonprofit and other partners, listen to their employees on the front lines and reflect on their own reasons for getting into banking.