Surveys

Facebook's securities filings show its Facebook Credits digital currency business is exploding. Does it pose a serious threat to banks?

Yes. Facebook Credits threatens to cut off banks from transactions and customer data.

13%

No. A system the enables users to pay for online games and page upgrades is a harmless niche.

31%

Maybe. It depends on whether Facebook makes an aggressive move into ecommerce.

56%

Week Ending: 02/12/12

Posted from: 02/06/12 through 02/12/12

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Will the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group that President Obama unveiled during his State of the Union address have a big influence on banks?

Yes, it will finally lead to settlements over robo-signing and other outstanding issues

10%

No, it's election year political theater

67%

Sort of. It will likely help regulators clinch a robo-signing pact but otherwise prove useless

23%

Week Ending: 02/05/12

Posted from: 01/30/12 through 02/05/12

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Bank earnings have been a mixed bag in the fourth quarter, with much of the weakness in revenue and capital markets. Is this a sign that banking has become a more staid and less profitable business?

Yes, regulations have squeezed a lot of profitability out of the industry.

48%

No, lending is picking up and capital markets are a temporary problem for only a few banks.

21%

It depends on the outcome of the election, unfinished Dodd-Frank rules and the CFPB.

31%

Week Ending: 01/29/12

Posted from: 01/23/12 through 01/29/12

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Minutes released recently show Fed officials had a poor grasp of the coming financial crisis shortly before it struck. Will the new Financial Stability Oversight Council and Office of Financial Research do better at warning of trouble ahead?

Yes — Unlike the Fed, they will be specifically charged with providing early warnings

4%

No — It's impossible for anyone to predict how economies and markets will behave

47%

Maybe — Nobody has a crystal ball, but financial research and out-of-the-box thinking can lead to better forecasting

48%

Week Ending: 01/22/12

Posted from: 01/16/12 through 01/22/12

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Will Richard Cordray's recess appointment to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have a profound effect on the banking industry?

Yes, it will give the CFPB full authority to oversee banks and non-banks alike

0%

No, Cordray's authority will be undermined by legal challenges

0%

It depends. Cordray's authority will depend largely on whether banks perceive his moves as reasonable and even-handed

0%

Week Ending: 01/15/12

Posted from: 01/09/12 through 01/15/12

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Will 2012 be the year when mobile wallets take off in the U.S.?

Yes, there’s finally enough momentum with Google Wallet and Isis

6%

Maybe, if stakeholders like Verizon and Google can learn to cooperate

27%

No, consumers think their old mag-stripes cards work fine

65%

Week Ending: 01/08/12

Posted from: 01/03/12 through 01/08/12

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Are bankers trying to sell their institutions in denial about values

Yes, the business has become less profitable and banks less valuable

64%

No, we're near the bottom of a multi-year cycle and values are bound to recover

32%

Week Ending: 01/01/12

Posted from: 12/23/11 through 01/01/12

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Should Congress move aggressively in 2012 to wind down Fannie and Freddie?

Yes – It's time to return the mortgage market to the private sector

42%

No – The housing market is too weak to withstand big changes

31%

It depends – Congress should move as quickly as private lenders can pick up the slack

27%

Week Ending: 12/25/11

Posted from: 12/16/11 through 12/25/11

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Who's winning the political battle over the CFPB nomination?

Dems — By opposing any nominee the Repubs look like the party of Wall Street

28%

Repubs — The idea of government overreach will resonate with voters

24%

Neither — Both parties will be tarnished by yet another example of political gridlock

48%

Week Ending: 12/18/11

Posted from: 12/09/11 through 12/18/11

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Wal-Mart has been aggressively pushing into financial services recently, as reflected in American Banker's award to Jane Thompson as Innovator of the Year. Does the retailer pose a serious threat to banks?

Yes, its size and ability to sell other goods to customers make it a serious rival

34%

No, its low-end services are a threat to Western Union and check cashing services — not banks

32%

Maybe — If banks fail to respond creatively to Wal-Mart's advances, they will lose valuable market share

34%

Week Ending: 12/11/11

Posted from: 12/05/11 through 12/11/11

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Should debt collectors be allowed to obtain warrants for the arrest of consumers who refuse to repay loans?

Yes — A law with no teeth is worthless

12%

No — This isn't Medieval Europe

62%

Maybe — Arrest warrants should be limited to extreme cases where it’s proven that borrowers are shirking their obligations

26%

Week Ending: 12/04/11

Posted from: 11/28/11 through 12/04/11

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Should debt collectors be allowed to obtain warrants for the arrest of consumers who refuse to repay loans?

Yes, a law with no teeth is worthless

6%

No, this isn't Medieval Europe

68%

Maybe. Arrest warrants should be limited to extreme cases where it’s proven that borrowers are shirking their obligations

26%

Week Ending: 11/27/11

Posted from: 11/23/11 through 11/27/11

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Should we replace Basel III risk-based capital rules with a simple, higher leverage ratio?

Yes, the Basel III rules are too complicated and easily manipulated

36%

No, a simple leverage ratio, even if it's high, ignores what kinds of risk firms are taking

27%

It doesn't matter. Given the risks in the financial system these days, neither offers much security

37%

Week Ending: 11/27/11

Posted from: 11/21/11 through 11/27/11

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Is Europe's financial crisis a threat to U.S. banks?

Yes, a full-blown European financial crisis would cause U.S. banks serious damage

100%

No, the exposure of even big U.S. banks is quite limited

0%

Who Knows? With derivatives and other undisclosed ties, the financial system is flying in the dark

0%

Week Ending: 11/20/11

Posted from: 11/14/11 through 11/20/11

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Should banks ditch unprofitable retail customers?

Yes, banks first obligation is to maximize profits and shareholder value

0%

No, today's unprofitable customer could be tomorrow's lucrative client

0%

It's the wrong question. Banks should ditch bankers who aren't creative enough to make customers profitable without gouging them

0%

Week Ending: 11/13/11

Posted from: 11/04/11 through 11/13/11

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Facebook's securities filings show its Facebook Credits digital currency business is exploding. Does it pose a serious threat to banks?

Will the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group that President Obama unveiled during his State of the Union address have a big influence on banks?

Bank earnings have been a mixed bag in the fourth quarter, with much of the weakness in revenue and capital markets. Is this a sign that banking has become a more staid and less profitable business?

Minutes released recently show Fed officials had a poor grasp of the coming financial crisis shortly before it struck. Will the new Financial Stability Oversight Council and Office of Financial Research do better at warning of trouble ahead?

Will Richard Cordray's recess appointment to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have a profound effect on the banking industry?

Will 2012 be the year when mobile wallets take off in the U.S.?

Are bankers trying to sell their institutions in denial about values

Should Congress move aggressively in 2012 to wind down Fannie and Freddie?

Who's winning the political battle over the CFPB nomination?

Wal-Mart has been aggressively pushing into financial services recently, as reflected in American Banker's award to Jane Thompson as Innovator of the Year. Does the retailer pose a serious threat to banks?

Should debt collectors be allowed to obtain warrants for the arrest of consumers who refuse to repay loans?

Should debt collectors be allowed to obtain warrants for the arrest of consumers who refuse to repay loans?

Should we replace Basel III risk-based capital rules with a simple, higher leverage ratio?

Is Europe's financial crisis a threat to U.S. banks?

Should banks ditch unprofitable retail customers?

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