Mark Skertic

CONSUMER PRICES Scant inflation The holiday shopping season is just getting under way, and consumers won't have to contend with one nightmare of some Christmases past: inflation. The Commerce Department...

When Universal Federal Savings Bank failed last year, the thrift's demise was blamed on unexplained "fraudulent practices." A better idea of what killed the bank, which was based in Chicago's...

A new credit union will open on the South Side on Saturday, in the same week when a new federal study was released that found credit unions are serving a...

The mega-acquisition of FleetBoston Financial Corp. by Bank of America won't affect expansion plans in Chicago, according to bank officials. The bank still plans to open 13 Bank of America...

National City Corp., a relative newcomer to the Chicago bank wars, plans to become a major player in the next few years. The bank has 31 offices in Chicago and...

The green-and-gold shield that now adorns LaSalle Bank branches was added after more than a year of discussion and debate, according to the bank's top executive. LaSalle and its Dutch...

For more than a century, the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has had authority to regulate national banks, leaving state-chartered banks to state oversight. Now, state lawmakers...

Bank One Corp.'s decision to drop fees for most customers who pay their bills online is part of a trend in the industry, according to analysts. "Competitive pressure is pushing...

Credit unions often carry the name of a business or a labor union. But the fastest-growing type of credit union carries the name of a community. The National Credit Union...

When Oakbrook Terrace-based Superior Bank failed in 2001, $59 million in deposits was not covered by federal insurance, because the money was in accounts that exceeded $100,000. That's the maximum...