Small businesses are essential to the ongoing prosperity of the United States, but they are not well served by the country's largest banks. For everyone's sake, that needs to change.

The STATES 2.0 Act, currently pending in Congress, would go a long way toward giving banks confidence that they can provide services to legal cannabis businesses without putting themselves in legal jeopardy.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will not enforce or supervise the 1071 small business lending rule, it announced in a press release. The rule requires collecting data on the race, ethnicity, gender and LGBTQ status of loan applicants.

Banks that think they can compete in the stablecoin space are making a huge mistake. The smart move would be to upgrade infrastructure to allow assets to move between banks and crypto accounts seamlessly.

Small-business owners will be given the option to tap into anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 in financing.

The Seattle-based company, which had made home loans for more than a century, announced it was quitting the mortgage business in January. It booked nearly 400 small business loans in the first quarter and expects that total to grow as its team gains traction.

More than 1.4 million small businesses bank with U.S. Bank, according to the company, and it's now offering help with managing expenses and accepting payments.

The suburban Atlanta banks, both of which specialize in lending to Korean-American businesses, plan to merge in a $206 million cash-and-stock deal.

The company lets business owners comingle personal and business finances in one app.