Republican treasurer candidate Kimberly Yee labeled a plan by Democrat contender Mark Manoil to have the state help rural financial institutions do more lending as "socialized banking.''

For many small businesses, it’s not the idea they struggle with, it’s getting the money to fund it.

As of this year, a customer can enter the Bank of America at 44th Street and Thomas Road drop off his latest deposit and leave – all without interacting with a human teller.

With $3.7 billion in trade between Arizona and Canada, our neighbors to the north play a significant role in the state’s economy. That’s why the Arizona Bankers Association is pushing a bill to encourage Arizona financial institutions to lend more to credit-worthy Canadian borrowers seeking to do business here.

The clamor to crack down on laundering drug money was loud in 2010 when Wachovia National Bank was found to have let $110 million from Mexico be sent through its accounts. It grew two years later when HSBC Holdings PLC agreed to pay $1.9 billion to settle violations that included letting hundreds of millions of dollars from drug cartels flow through one of the worldai??i??s largest banks.

Consumers in Arizona don’t want much from a bank. They simply require convenience — being close to their home or work, with online account access — and no service charges to maintain a regular checking account.

Chandler mom Lindsay Barnes already knows what the National Retail Federation is reporting in a recent study – it costs a lot to send kids back to school.

New campaign finance laws could restore clout of business community

Business interests that once served as the gatekeepers of Arizona’s elections may be regaining some of the clout they lost during the Clean Elections era.

The old adage — “If it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger” — generally applies to biological organisms. But it could also apply to the financial system in Arizona, which has had 14 bank failures since 2009.

A bill to establish an online voting pilot program in time for the 2014 primary election is drawing bipartisan support in the Arizona State Senate.

Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, said the technology is readily available to ensure the safety and accuracy of online voting – an effort that could save the state millions of dollars in expenses racked up by mailing ballots to voters, he added.