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American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and from our social media platforms.

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On the coinciding news that Bank of America is nearing a $17 billion settlement with the Justice Department and that the bank plans to increase its dividend for the first time in seven years:

"$17 billion fine and higher dividend… Cognitive dissonance. Who's zoomin' who?" (via Twitter)

Related Article: Morning Scan: B of A Nears $16B-$17B Deal; Banks' Living Wills 'Too Sanguine'

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On the need for compliance officers to be assertive about potential violations of anti-money laundering rules:

"Padding the compliance document file with warnings/concerns is of no help. If table-pounding is warranted, then table-pounding is required."

Related Article: How Regulators Can Help AML Compliance Officers Do Their Jobs

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On how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should approach the regulation of overdraft programs:

"Overdraft programs are simply another form of short-term credit that is convenient and easy to get for a consumer with a bank account. Those who opt in do so because they want to know that the credit is available and are clearly willing to pay for it. The CFPB should regulate it the same way they regulate credit cards and every other form of consumer credit."

Related Article: CFPB Considering New Rule on Overdraft Programs

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On whether big banks still enjoy a competitive advantage because creditors believe the government would bail them out if disaster struck:

"There is only one solution in any event: require sufficient capital and close all the loopholes such as off-balance sheet financing so that they won't fail."

Related Article: All Sides Claim Victory in Wake of GAO Report on TBTF

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On the claim that bank payment systems use outdated technology:

"Funny how Check21 works to transfer money out of your checking account to another bank in hours but ACH can take days to put money into your bank account. Technology seems to work fine when it's to a bank's advantage."

Related Article: Bank Payment Systems Still Operate Like CompuServe and AOL

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On the need to dissuade consumers from getting into too much debt:

"We need to discourage debt in our society. Over-indebtedness was the root cause of our last crisis. Perhaps a simple change in the tax code would do it. Eliminate the tax deduction for mortgage interest, and add a tax deduction for principal repayment of currently existing debt. Then the system can normalize — too many people with marginal economics bought homes in the last crisis. Rewards should exist for getting out of debt, not getting into or having debt."

Related Article: Banks Making Fewer Mortgages Because of New CFPB Rules, Fed Says

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On the argument that customers value authentic relationships with banks over high-tech offerings:

"For banks to work those genuine relationships, some may have to reconsider what they pay front-line employees and work on employee retention/engagement."

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On the factors that determine customer loyalty:

"'Do I know you? Do I like you? Do I trust you?' When it comes to matters of money, the above three questions will almost always trump technological variances between financial institutions."

Related Article: Why Genuine Relationships Still Trump Technology

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On the argument that expanding bank boards' fiduciary duties would be ineffective as well as dangerous for directors:

"The thought that pops into my mind is (setting aside the immunity issues for the sake of argument), what if that standard were applied to the Fed's investment in AIG or [mortgage-backed securities], or Congress and our President's continued investment in the U.S. Postal Service?"

Related Article: Beware of Expanded Board Fiduciary Duties

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