Skip to main content

#banking

Banking

Navigate business banking, accounts, and financial services effectively

147 postsView all tagsBack to All Posts
14 min read

Small Business Bankruptcies Hit a Decade High: Why Subchapter V Filings Jumped 67% and What the $7.5 Million Debt Limit Fight Means for You

Business bankruptcies hit 24,737 filings in the year through December 2025 and Subchapter V cases jumped about 67% year-over-year in January 2026. This guide explains why filings are rising, how Subchapter V differs from traditional Chapter 11, what the $7.5 million versus $3 million debt limit fight means for eligibility, and the five-number dashboard that surfaces trouble months before a filing.

Mike Thrift

small-businessbankingfinancial-management
8 min read

Should Your Point-of-Sale App Be Your Bank? A Small-Business Guide to Embedded Finance

Embedded finance grew from a $148 billion market in 2025 to roughly $197 billion in 2026, putting bank accounts, cards, and lending inside software like Shopify, Square, and Toast. Here's how these products work, what the 2024 Synapse collapse revealed about FDIC-insurance gaps, and a practical framework for splitting money between embedded products and a traditional bank.

Mike Thrift

fintechbankingbusiness-banking
5 min read

FDIC Coverage for Business Accounts: Lessons from the Small Business Bank Failure in Lenexa, Kansas

On July 18, 2026, regulators closed Small Business Bank of Lenexa, Kansas — the fourth U.S. bank failure of 2026 — with $73M in assets and $69M in deposits assumed by Farmers State Bank of Oakley. Here's how the $250,000-per-depositor, per-ownership-category FDIC limit really applies to business accounts, and how to extend coverage with multiple banks or insured cash sweeps.

Mike Thrift

bankingsmall-businesstreasury-management
7 min read

Business Savings Accounts in 2026: What Idle Cash Actually Costs You

With the Fed holding rates at 3.5%–3.75% through mid-2026, a business keeping $100,000 in a 0% checking account forgoes roughly $3,500–$4,000 a year. This guide compares top business savings APYs (Axos ~3.60%, Bluevine up to ~3.75%, Live Oak, Lili, Grasshopper), explains Insured Cash Sweep coverage beyond the $250,000 FDIC limit, and shows how to split operating, reserve, and surplus cash.

Mike Thrift

small-businessbusiness-bankingbanking
7 min read

The Swipe Fee Lawsuit That Could Backfire on Merchants: Corner Post, Regulation II, and What Small Businesses Should Do Now

A North Dakota truck stop sued to lower debit card swipe fees — and in August 2025 a federal court vacated Regulation II's 21-cent interchange cap entirely. Here's how the Corner Post case reached the Eighth Circuit, the three ways it could end, and how small businesses can prepare for fees moving in either direction.

Mike Thrift

paymentssmall-businessbanking
7 min read

Cash-Flow Lending Explained: How Relay Capital and Embedded Lenders Fund Businesses Banks Reject

Big banks reject roughly 85–87% of small business loan applications. Cash-flow lenders like Relay Capital instead underwrite 3–6 months of bank statements, approving $1,000–$250,000 term loans in minutes with funding in 1–2 days. Here's how cash-flow underwriting works, what it costs, and how to keep books a lender can actually read.

Mike Thrift

small-businessloanscash-flow
Start Free→Documentation