BankThink

The Bank for International Settlements acknowledges that people may have legitimate reasons to prefer an anonymous payment system.

Editor's note: Morning Scan will not publish on Thursday, Nov. 26 or Friday, Nov. 27 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. We'll be back on Monday, Nov. 30. Wall Street Journal

In-house lawyers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had proof the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. were eagerly awaiting its report on Ally Financial. That nugget was included in the House Financial Services Committee report, released on Tuesday, that slammed the CFPB for...

Wall Street Journal

Shoppers are losing their patience with Black Friday sales, because it's so difficult to figure out what's the best deal on saving money, because of the layers of coupons, flash sales and other discounts. Retailers aren't the only ones at fault. Banks, too, have confused consumers whether a percentage-off deal is better than a dollar amount. Citigroup's Citi Retail Services, the private-label credit card issuer, has tested two offers this season. One gives...

Wall Street Journal

Diebold confirmed it's in merger talks with Germany's Wincor Nixdorf, under which Diebold would pay $1.8 billion in cash and stock in an acquisition. Diebold will launch its tender offer early next year, with a breakdown of 80% cash and 20% stock. Diebold will raise $2.3 billion in senior secured and unsecured debt to finance the deal; it will also obtain a $500 million revolving credit facility. The combination would surpass NCR as...

Wall Street Journal

The rise in auto-loan balances, fueled in part by subprime auto lending (read American Banker's coverage of the New York Fed report here), should not necessarily be viewed as a cause for alarm, Equifax's chief economist told the Journal. "The difference between having reliable transportation and not having reliable transportation is life-changing for people," Amy Crews Cutts said. "When you hit a rough patch and are financially on the edge, which is often...