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Could your bank teller could go postal? Offering basic consumer banking services in the form of prepaid debit cards is just one of many ideas the U.S. Post Office is considering to boost its bottom line. And even with stamp costs going up to 45 cents, the USPS is in dire need of outside-the-box solutions to its budget woes.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe warned that the Postal Service is on "the brink of default" as he battles to keep his agency solvent. Without legislation by Sept. 30, the agency "will default on a mandated $5.5 billion payment to the Treasury," Donahoe told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

In DailyFinance's new video series, My Three Cents, personal finance columnist Regina Lewis discusses tips and trends affecting today's consumer market. This week's focus: continuing trouble at the U.S. Postal Service.

The U.S. Postal Service warned that it will miss federal payments totaling an estimated $6.8 billion by October, unless the government steps in.

Netflix, whose DVD-by-mail service hastened the demise of several video rental chains, may soon find itself under siege from Amazon. The world's largest online retailer appears to be on the verge of launching its own unlimited movie and TV-show streaming service.

The U.S. Justice Department has begun an investigation into the country's two largest delivery companies, UPS and FedEx. Both have policies aimed at preventing customers from negotiating lower shipping rates through third parties.

The U.S. Postal Service's annual loss more than doubled in fiscal 2010 compared to a year earlier as mail volume continues to slide while interest costs related to workers' compensation climb.

Here's news from the business world and other money matters to watch out for Friday (last updated at 7:55 a.m. Eastern time): Postal Service Posts Loss: While many companies are reporting upbeat quarterly profits this earnings season, the United States Postal Service isn't one of them. The...

The U.S Postal Service reported a $3.5 billion third quarter loss due to continued declines in mail volume and increased costs from retiree health benefits. Without help from Congress and a postage rate increase, it could run out of cash in 2011.

There's only about two weeks left to file your taxes and get your payments in the mail which means that local accountants and tax preparation firms are going to be busy, busy, busy with people like you and me who have waited to file. If you want to file your taxes yourself you can use a tool like...