A federal judge in Miami today issued an order authorizing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to request information from Zurich, Switzerland-based UBS AG about U.S. taxpayers who may be using Swiss bank accounts to evade federal income taxes. The Justice Department on Monday filed papers seeking the order.

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN), a leading provider of electronic transaction processing solutions, announced today it has completed the formation of a joint venture with HSBC Bank plc to provide payment processing services to merchants in the United Kingdom and Internet merchants globally. The joint venture, HSBC Merchant Services, will provide merchant acquiring services to over 135,000 merchant outlets.

A new study conducted by Paul Dholakia at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Management shows that online peer-to-peer lending Web sites may be more attractive to Americans than traditional financial institutions.

First South Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSBK), parent holding company of First South Bank, has been recognized as one of banking's top performers by the ABA Banking Journal.

Phoenix Footwear Group, Inc. (Amex: PXG), a multi-brand footwear and accessories company, announced today that it has entered into a new $17 million revolving credit facility with Wells Fargo Bank.

Banner Bank has unveiled a mobile banking enhancement for their online banking customers. Customers will now be able to use their cell phones and smartphones when they're on-the-go to check account balances, pay bills, transfer money, and receive alerts with the launch of this secure mobile banking service.

USA Today has an article on how the six monks of the Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank have turned LaserMonks into a $4.5 Million office supply giant.

Scotiabank today announced the launch of a new insurance product offering disability protection to mortgage clients across Canada. The Bank is now the first major Canadian financial institution with mortgage product offerings at three levels of personal protection, including loss of life and health crisis.

The idea of turning Armenia into a financial and banking center should be our guide for the nearest years, President Serzh Sarkisian stated today.

The Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan says that Arab states express a wish to move their financial and banking center from Lebanon to Armenia as Armenia makes serious steps to become the regional financial center by dedicating northern town of Dilijan specially for this purpose.

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC), the world leader in information infrastructure solutions, today announced that First Financial Bancorp, an Ohio-based corporation that is the parent company of one of the oldest banks in the United States, has dramatically improved the performance and availability of critical business and client data with EMC information storage, software and services.

On Tuesday, April 22, 2008, The Governor of Bank of Ireland, Richard Burrows, unveiled the new look of the bank's Northern Ireland banknotes featuring the iconic Old Bushmills Distillery in Co. Antrim.