Practice

Fiserv is trying to round out its wealth management software offerings with its acquisition of AdviceAmerica and said it might forge additional partnerships to become more competitive.

WASHINGTON — With lawmakers intent on sending a final regulatory reform bill to President Obama by July 4, much of the legwork is already happening behind the scenes on how to tackle a host of unresolved issues, including a proposed swaps ban, a stringent capital requirement, interchange fee regulation and a consumer protection agency.

The findings are a sign that advisers can be an important part of including children in the conversation around college savings and building a sound financial plan.

With lawmakers from both chambers of Congress set to begin hammering out a single financial regulatory reform bill on Wednesday, one of the most contentious municipal-market issues to be worked out centers on who will regulate non-dealer financial advisers, swap advisers and other market intermediaries.

Interviews with analysts, industry representatives, academics and other sources point to a growing consensus on how some of these issues will play out.

Though still in its infancy, some social media strategies work better than others.

Internal Revenue Service officials Thursday said that there are no plans to audit up to half of all Build America Bond deals, backing away from remarks they made last week.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday that the central bank remains committed to expanding the flow of credit to small businesses, saying it has retrained its examiners to ensure they are not part of the problem.

To attract more business from small businesses, Bank of America Merrill Lynch announced Thursday it relaunched a retirement services platform for companies with fewer than 100 employees.

WASHINGTON — Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s Warren Buffett warned a panel investigating the causes of the financial crisis Wednesday that states and localities may face “terrible” financial distress in the next five to 10 years that in turn could lead some to look to the federal government for bailouts.