Vendors Turn Lemons into Lemonade

We could begin this article with a recap of the dismal global economy the record number of bank failures. But instead some good news: In a year where there were huge structural changes in financial services, the top 100 financial technology firms saw their revenue grow.

• The FinTech 100
• Profiles of the Top 10
• The Top 25 Enterprise Companies in FinTech

The Core of the Matter

Wanda Guttas, evp at Union Bank, is taking her bank on a journey few in the industry have dared - a four-to-five-year trek to a full-scale core upgrade. As program director for the integrated platform, she and her team of 100-plus people will migrate the $70 billion asset bank from 50 systems that cover checking, customer information, sales and servicing, plus commercial and consumer loans, to Finacle, a single integrated system from India-based tech giant Infosys.

The FutureNow List

As fraud gets more sophisticated, the technology to fight fraud has to fight to keep up. BTN profiles 10 firms that are tapping everything from advanced encryption to social networks to keep financial transactions, consumers, corporate clients and institutions secure

The New Generals

At the low tide of the most dramatic economic cycle most bankers have ever seen, chief risk officers have a lot more to do and a much higher profile than just a year ago. That's making the new CRO a master strategist who's part tech exec, part legal expert, part security guard, part energy consultant and part geopolitical guru.

The Future of the Bank Branch

WaMu's $1 billion experiment in futuristic branch design has come to an ignominious end. The new owner, JPMorgan Chase, is ripping out all 900 and replacing free-standing stations and cash-dispensing machines with bullet-proof teller windows. This scenario highlights a philosophical disagreement in branch design: New, expensive designs and technologies encourage face-to-face customer engagement, providing a uniquely powerful relationship-building channel, while other important voices argue for back-to-basics.

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