Fintech

Early Warning, which operates the payment network, says the rate of reported fraud is less than a tenth of one percent. Yet stories of consumers who have fallen victim to scams and lost money as a result abound. 

SouthState Corp. plans to purchase Independent Bank Group in a $2 billion deal, marking an end to the latter bank's long run of buying companies. Chairman and CEO David Brooks pointed to a challenging interest rate environment and heightened regulatory scrutiny as reasons he decided to sell.

New technology decoupling payment cards from the funding source of the transaction would stimulate competition between card issuers and networks — and raise prospects for Capital One's proposed $35 billion acquisition of Discover Financial Services.

Executives from JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo are expected to get grilled in Congress this summer over victims of Zelle scams who don't get reimbursed. A Senate panel has spent much of the last year examining fraud on the bank-owned payments network.

Santander joins Iberpay as the first supporters of the European Payment Council's instant account-to-account network, Australian lawmakers approved bills to create a federated digital identity system, and more.

Irvine-based CBC Bancorp's $121 million deal for Bay Community Bancorp in Oakland stands out at a time when high rates have put a damper on both the number of deals taking place and the multiples sellers are paying.

At an industry conference, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said he was open to suggestions on how to increase choice and competition to benefit mortgage lenders and borrowers.

One year after it bought First Republic Bank, the largest U.S. bank by assets is launching J.P. Morgan Private Client, a new tier in its affluent-consumer services that brings together JPMorgan's brand with First Republic's concierge model.

The Florida-based bank, which has been expanding across the South, would enter major markets such as Dallas and Houston with its planned all-stock acquisition of Independent Bank Group.

CEO Kevin Cohee is convinced WiseOne, the AI companion OneUnited Bank rolled out late last year, can help customers make better financial decisions. Cohee also wants to see his passion for personal fiscal improvement play to a wider audience, through development of a nationwide financial literacy curriculum.