David Lazarus writes a follow-up to an earlier column in the San Francisco Chronicle regarding the currency conversion fees charged by credit card issuers.

Nearly all readers shared my bewilderment with how the likes of Bank of America and Wells Fargo justify tacking an extra 2 percent fee onto credit card transactions, above and beyond the 1 percent foreign-currency conversion charge levied by Visa and MasterCard.

The Chicago Sun-Times picks up AP's Eileen Alt Powell's story about the disappearing check.

Elliott C. McEntee, president and chief executive officer of NACHA, which is based in Herndon, Va., said most consumers seem comfortable with the electronic systems. He said a recent survey conducted for the group found that just 4 percent of check writers have called their financial institutions in the past six months with questions about check conversion payments.

"We think it's a service that creates a win-win situation," McEntee said. "It's good for consumers, and it gets more paper out of the check-clearing system."

Ted Griffith reports for Delaware Online about MBNA's new business strategies.

Faced with a slowdown in the U.S. credit card business, CEO Bruce L. Hammonds is leading a dramatic overhaul at MBNA Corp. that's included pushing new loan products, entering new markets and making big cost cuts.

For Delaware, the stakes are high as the 23-year-old Wilmington-based bank seeks to reinvent itself. MBNA employs about 10,400 people in the state, more than any other business and second only to state government. The success of MBNA's new initiatives could have big implications for Delaware's banking sector and the overall state economy.