Demographics

The White House and other Democrats have long pushed for banks to offer affordable small-dollar loans as an alternative to payday loans and other costlier credit, but banks have struggled to make them profitable and safe for consumers.

Financial companies from SunTrust to SoFi will be advertising in Sunday's game — a rare sight in recent years — despite the estimate $5 million price tag.

The amount of complaints in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s database dealing with payday loans is relatively small, so why is the proposal to regulate payday lenders so sweeping?

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stepped up efforts Wednesday to encourage banks to offer simple checking and savings accounts, but many institutions said it is regulations and other factors that are preventing them from reaching the underbanked.

The marijuana industry is still hampered by its own banking crisis, but the rigidity of federal laws is not stopping all advances in financial services for the sector.

Steve Streit, who founded the prepaid card pioneer in 1999, is taking fire from an investment firm that owns 6.2% of the company.

The Secured It Card requires a security deposit but also offers cash-back rewards and other perks normally associated with Discover's traditional cards.

A new class of fintech startups is using loan applicants' social networks to determine creditworthiness as the banking industry debates the merits of alternate underwriting methods.

LendUp, which makes subprime consumer loans online and over mobile phones, announced Wednesday that it has raised $50 million in equity funding, plus an additional $100 million in debt financing.

As a recent college graduate, I could have been more engaged with my longer-term financial health had I had today's fintech tools at my disposal.

Several small banks are beginning to offer employer-based loans, a payday loan alternative for under-banked consumers.

Consumer credit is better than ever before, even as Americans households have started levering up. But the big question for banks looking to re-commit to consumer lending is how.

In a speech in New York City, Sanders vowed to remove the ability of the Federal Reserve to pay interest to banks for their excess reserves, turn the credit rating agencies into nonprofits, allow the U.S. Postal Service to offer bank products, and cap ATM fees and interest rates for loans.

Banks have made changes to overdrafts, such as lowering fees offering clearer explanations. They better, as the CFPB will soon offer new rules for overdrafts. Plus, overdraft revenue has declined at many banks. Still unanswered is the question of how to offer short-term credit, if overdrafts disappear.

Dilip Ratha, an economist at the World Bank, shows how the power of a simple remittance sent from one family member to another could be magnified to improve the lives of poor people.

Carver Bancorp in New York, like many community banks, seems to be back on track after surviving the financial crisis. But the company, and CEO Michael Pugh, have an new objective - figuring out how to stay relevant with younger customers.

Developing banking solutions for lower-income consumers means getting to the heart of the financial volatility they face trying to make ends meet.

A startup backed by philanthropist Pierre Omidyar has emerged from stealth mode with technology that promises to provide consistent value and a degree of privacy to electronic money.

The Treasury Annex building in Washington is slated to be renamed in honor of a bank that served emancipated slaves after the end of the Civil War.

Angus Deaton's efforts to improve understanding of poverty have helped open the door to financial services firms meeting the market demands of the world's poor.