May 17
A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.
Joe Adler | May 17
Washington Post blog tries giving clarity around who used the analogy in a point about Japanese monetary policy. It was likely not Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke.
Victoria Finkle | May 17
It's common to hear complaints that Congress is no better than a bunch of squabbling kids, but it's less often you that see an actual child take part in official proceedings.
May 17
Risks posed by the shadow banking system, the need for regulators to work through disagreements and housing reform were among the key concerns among top financial policymakers gathered at the Federal Reserve's annual conference in Chicago last week. Washington reporter Donna Borak, who attended the event, discusses the implications.
Kevin Villani | May 17
The return to profitability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is not a reason to preserve them as part of a future housing finance system.
David Fiderer | May 17
Loan performance data show the entire case against GSE underwriting standards, and their role in the financial crisis, is based on social stereotyping, smoke and mirrors, and little else.
Victoria Finkle | May 16
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is bringing the battle over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau back to the forefront next week with a long-awaited confirmation vote on Richard Cordray, the agency's director.
John H. Buhrmaster | May 16
The common-sense steps taken in the bill will help even the playing field between community banks and big financial firms.
Orson Aguilar and Sasha Werblin | May 15
The banking industry must create sustainable mortgage products that will work for responsible families of modest means. We also need a proactive homeownership policy from the federal government.
Donna Borak | May 14
Top Federal Reserve Board officials appear to have reached a consensus on how to deal with the "too big to fail" dilemma: wait for the current reform process to play out, but be ready to significantly increase capital standards if the problem remains unsolved.
Richard J. Parsons | May 14
Accept the limitations of quantification exercises. Management should focus on identifying and mitigating risks that alone or in combination could cause a bank to fail.
Alex J. Pollock | May 14
The central bank is too big, too leveraged, extremely short-funded and a frequent creator through its interest rate and money-printing actions of gigantic systemic risk.
Christopher Cole | May 14
The bill would replace the misleading risk-based capital system with a straightforward way to determine the true health of an institution, in addition to providing incentives for the largest banks to downsize.
Neil Weinberg | May 13
Bankers truly face a Catch-22 in the lending business these days, thanks to "qualified mortgage" and disparate impact laws.
Anshuman Sindhar | May 13
The gradual erosion of net interest margins and a compensatory shift toward risky new lending strategies for additional yield is a major factor for high chargeoffs and community bank failures.
