Finance

Credit Suisse Group AG is close to reaching an agreement to plead guilty and pay about $2.5 billion to the U.S. Justice Department and regulators to resolve investigations into whether it helped Americans evade taxes, three people familiar with the matter said.

Credit Suisse Group's top officials told investors that Switzerland's second-biggest bank is pushing to resolve the U.S. probe into whether it helped American clients evade taxes.

Higher regulatory and compliance costs may push more small banks to sell themselves or merge with larger institutions. But so far, community bank consolidation rates are following historical patterns.

The IRS said it would regard 2014 and 2015 as a transition period for purposes of IRS enforcement and administration of FATCA for banks that have made a good-faith effort to comply.

Bankers provide customers with a huge range of services free of charge. If banks want to compensate for the rising cost of those services, that's got to change, says one bank consultant.

UBS AG, Switzerland’s largest bank, said it plans a special payout for investors on top of higher dividends after it reaches capital targets this year. The shares rose.

Credit Suisse Group may be close to resolving a U.S. tax-evasion probe with an agreement that might include a penalty of more than $1 billion, after creating a separate entity last year to house the businesses involved.

There are five main areas advisors can tackle now ahead of a potential SEC audit.

U.S. stocks fluctuated, after the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose to a record yesterday, as investors dissected corporate earnings and data showing an unexpected gain in jobless claims and higher consumer spending.

FINRA's arbitration process is flawed beyond repair, and investors would be better served under a different system, argues author and columnist William D. Cohan.

Bank of America, which last month won approval to lift its dividend for the first time since the financial crisis, said it will suspend that increase and $4 billion of planned buybacks because of an error in its capital planning.

Here is a rundown of the high-profile investors in small U.S. banks who command attention and their investments styles.

U.S. prosecutors are seeking more than $13 billion from Bank of America to resolve federal and state investigations of the lender’s sale of bonds backed by home loans in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, according to people familiar with the matter.

New York's top financial services regulator has indicated he will hold individuals accountable in enforcement actions. But it's imperative his agency -- and others that plan to follow suit -- adopt and follow defined procedures that consider an individual’s unique, more vulnerable position.

In order for bank CEOs to be included on any "great leaders" list, trust with customers, employees and shareholders must be strong, says one HR officer.

Community banks need a steady flow of prospects. A partnership with a successful retail concept virtually guarantees constant customer traffic, according to one bank marketer.

Alternative mutual funds will be examined by the SEC to assess whether managers are complying with leverage and liquidity rules.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren's new book details the Massachusetts lawmaker's dramatic rise from humble Oklahoma roots to bookish Harvard law professor to liberal juggernaut, and includes some behind-the-scenes insights to the formation of the CFPB and its agenda.

Treasury two-year notes were set to be sold today at the second-highest yield at an auction of the security since 2011 on speculation the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates before the debt matures.

New York’s top banking regulator sent a subpoena to Credit Suisse Group last week as he examines whether its private bank helped clients evade state taxes, a person with knowledge of the matter said.