As other banks grapple with the issue of branching, Seacoast Banking Corp. of Florida is letting its creativity run loose. The Stuart company has opened five offices in the last three months, called "fuel cells," to focus on small businesses. The aim is to foster more collaboration between commercial clients and Seacoast employees.

PNC Bank has indicated it plans to stop offering free checking sometime in the next 12 months.

Wells Fargo & Co. has unveiled sweeping changes to its website, following two years of research and feedback from customers.

At the recent Mobile Banking Summit here, a question bankers raised several times was: How do we make money from this channel?

The trend of banks kitting out their branches with tablets continues. The hardware, however, is requiring a new skill set of branch personnel: demo digital banking channels so customers know what other channel options exist and learn how to interact with the bank beyond the branch.

An analysis of more than 700 banks that maintained CAMEL 1 ratings over the past six years has found no single commonality for that success.

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Technology CU has introduced FeeAlert, which send members using out-of-network, fee-charging ATMs a personalized email alert from Tech CU, pointing them to the nearest in-network (and therefore fee-free) ATMs.

GECU and the local Kinley's House Coffee & Teas are introducing a new concept-combining a credit union branch with a cafe.

Richard Metsger, the nominee for the NCUA Board, told the Senate Banking Committee last week that if confirmed by the full Senate, he will be committed to reviewing the growing list of existing NCUA rules and regulations with a goal of "updating, simplifying, eliminating and clarifying" them.

Consumers banking with credit unions continue to be more confident in the economy and their personal finances than non-credit union customers, according to data from the most recent credit union member demographic of the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor.

Credit unions are being cautioned to double-check the non-judicial foreclosure statutes in the states in which they do mortgages for notice requirements in the wake of a closely watched Nevada state court ruling.

Regardless of where a credit union is physically located, competing with big banks with numerous ATM and branch locations is a continual challenge. For those credit unions existing within blocks or miles of the world's financial center-Wall Street-increasing assets and adding members is only achieved by understanding New York's niche market.

Carolina Trust, Myrtle Beach, S.C., hired Amy Roper as a first impression person. Janice Lederer and Nicole Blackburn were hired there as tellers.

ORLANDO-At the 2013 Grow Show, Credit Union Journal asked attendees, "What's driving growth at your CU?"

A new study suggests half of all banking customers say they could switch to another financial institution over the next six months.

Within 50 years it's likely that less than 5% of all credit unions will be SEG-based, according to one analyst.

One small credit union that put itself through a "brutal" review of every expense believes it is now well-positioned to grow and to serve niche markets.

Mobile Picture Pay, a new service that lets end-users take pictures of bills to make payments, showed "impressive" results in April, according to a new study from Malauzai Software, Inc.

A new study suggests that offering real-time payments can increase banking convenience and help consumers better manage their financial lives.

San Diego County CU has introduced a new capability for its mobile technology that allows Visa card holders to transfer their credit card accounts from other financial institutions to a San Diego County CU Visa credit card.