Robert H. Smith, the former chairman and chief executive of Security Pacific Corp., is a founder and director of Commerce National Bank in Newport Beach, Calif.

Why Washington Wants Community Banks Out of the Way
October 23, 2012 The flood of new regulation, demands for more capital, harsh enforcement and an unexplained three-year-old de facto moratorium...

Washington Set Banks Up for the Binge
May 11, 2012 The government filled a cookie jar, watched as the jar was emptied and then had to bring the fattened raiders back to health....

FDIC Asks the Wrong Questions About Community Banks
April 19, 2012 The FDIC is right in its apparent concern about the declining numbers of community banks, but it is exploring areas and...

USAA Is a Model for the Post-Branch Future
March 26, 2012 I was at the counter of the local UPS store notarizing a document when I was shocked by the comment of another person standing...

No New Charters Is a Bad Sign
March 15, 2012 Unless there is a hidden Washington agenda to eliminate community banks as trouble-prone or hard to regulate, it is time to...

B of A's Branch-Based Model Hurts the Poorest Customers
March 7, 2012 B of A seems to want to replace lost income and offset branch costs by imposing new account fees. Any increase would have the...

Community Banks Should Ask for a Divorce
December 20, 2011 It's time for community banks to differentiate themselves from the big banks in the eyes of the public, the legislatures and...

Banking's Big Challenge: Breaking Away from the Branch Model
November 1, 2011 How can banks can move to a technology-based model while still supporting a higher-cost branch model to serve the remaining...

Protests' Real Message for Banks: We Need Leadership
October 7, 2011 I was at a summit with 300 other community bankers when we were startled by chants of "Make Banks Pay!" Occupy Wall Street and...

Have Bank of America's Managers Lost Their Minds?
October 3, 2011 Thinking you can do whatever you want to your customers because you're the biggest and most economically significant bank in...