Banks

Cyberthieves steal hundreds of millions of dollars a year from the bank accounts of U.S. businesses. Many business owners are surprised to find out their bank is not obliged to make them whole.

Republicans are pushing to roll back Dodd-Frank because they say it over-regulates the financial industry and hurts growth. Supporters say it has made banks stronger and the financial system safer.

Locally-owned community banks in North Carolina are on the decline.  Before the recession, it was a different story–community banks were booming here and across the country.

The country's banks could hardly be in a more precarious position. The European Central Bank has stopped lending Greece money and a referendum Sunday could spell the country's exit from the eurozone.

European interest rates are being pushed so low — to less than zero — that some banks are paying borrowers to take loans. Such low rates are aimed at boosting Europe's economy, but there are risks.

Electronic messages can circle the globe in an instant, but electronic payments can still take days to complete. This often puts consumers at greater risk of getting hit with late fees.

The nation's biggest banks are leaning toward a new credit card security system that will rely on embedded chips and signatures rather than PINs. But critics say the PIN-and-chip system is superior.

Some U.S. banks are closing the accounts of certain businesses along the Mexican side of the border. It's part of an effort to stay in line with anti-money-laundering regulations.

High-tech firms have been offering bounties to security researchers to find holes and bugs in their software, but these reward programs haven't drawn much interest from major banks.