The founders of Seed are hoping to bring to small-business banking what their previous company, Simple, brought to personal financial management: much-easier-to-use technology.

A former executive at SunTrust has joined Cardlytics Inc. to help the company expand its partnerships with other banks.

The goal of the competition is to increase diversity in the financial technology industry.

While the $632 million-asset nbkc bank was the smallest known participant in the recent round of funding for Greenlight, the investment wasn't its first foray into fintech.

Since stepping down as CEO of Webster Bank last month, James Smith has spent much of his time co-chairing a panel tasked with solving his home state’s fiscal and economic woes. Banks, and perhaps even fintechs, could be a part of its comeback story, he says.

The Boston mutual, which lost its innovation team when it spun off Numerated last year, has hired a State Street executive to oversee a plan to encourage all employees to be more creative.

Scarlett Sieber will be based in the bank’s Labs division, working on forging partnerships with fintech firms.

The bureau’s policy of “no-action letters,” which offer some regulatory cover to participants, has failed to attract much interest from financial startups, suggesting change is needed.

U.S. Bank's $600 million fine for AML lapses quickly drew readers attention, while acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney got the Cordray treatment on Capitol Hill and big banks made moves to speed real-time payments.

Four of the startups are focused on business and consumer bill payments, and a fifth offers student loan repayment assistance as an employee perk.