Community Banking - Success with Failures

More banks are stretching into new markets by buying the branches, deposits and assets of failed institutions from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. They share the lessons they have learned in pursuing this strategy. Also inside: The financial crisis pushes some reluctant community banks to try social media.

Retail Delivery - The Evolution of the Branch

As transactions give way to interaction, branches adapt anew to a variety of staffing and design demand. Also: during crisis' toughest days, an incoming CEO finds his voice, via YouTube webcasts, and a comment looks at lessons learned from past cross-selling.

The FinTech 100

In a year where there were huge structural changes and consolidation in financial services, the top 100 financial technology firms actually saw their revenue grow. The 100 companies on the 2009 FinTech 100 had combined revenue of $52.8 billion, an almost 10% increase from last year's $48.1 billion. So in the sixth year of the FinTech 100 the bar continues to rise. Last year $36 million in revenue from the financial services industry was enough to land a company on the list. This year it took more than $50 million.

Mortgages - Residential Rethinking

Since peaking in 2004, the U.S. homeownership rate has lost nearly all the gains it had made since the beginning of the decade. Why some experts say this trend will continue in the decade ahead — and how the crisis is reshaping the housing policy debate. Also: Hatching an FHA "eagle" allows Inlanta, a Wisconsin lender, to soar to new heights.

Executive Forum 3Q '09

Part one of the 3Q '09 Executive Forum Survey looks at regulatory structure, which a majority of respondents thinks is in need of an overhaul — though a split exists on the idea of a consolidated regulator. Part one also looks at survey responses suggesting that financial executives feel the current degree of regulation is too much. The second part explores some of the thoughts executives have expressed on what they feel is burdensome regulation.

Emerging Technology - The Self-Serve Branch

Banks are using a new generation of self-serve devices to encourage customers to handle more basic financial transactions on their own - without making them feel they're missing out on personalized service. Also, U.S. financial companies say the key to making mobile phone transfers a mainstream service is linking them to users’ primary bank accounts.

Community Banking - Seizing Opportunity

The combination of new credit card regulations and large issuers' retrenchment is opening the door for small banks to reclaim some market share in credit card lending. Using low-tech marketing techniques, in-branch signage and statement stuffers, some community banks are already seeing results. Also inside: Why small banks could become bigger targets for cross-channel fraud.

Analyst Roundtable - 2Q '09

A massive consolidation of the banking industry is coming in the next several years, according to panelists in our latest Analyst Roundtable. Though there are factors that will temporarily delay it, a huge M&A wave is inevitable, they said. However, they warned, the heads of many struggling institutions are still unrealistic about their prospects for survival.

Executive Forum 2Q '09

The first installment of 2Q Executive Forum survey examines perceptions about risk. Views on the economy are becoming more upbeat, but lending standards remain tight. And though most financial executives say they aren't worried about systemic risk, there are lingering concerns.
For the second installment, we look at risk management practices. Financial services executives are showing increased concern about reputation and brand risk, and they are continuing to increase spending in this area.

Retail Delivery - Banks Personalize PFM

As third-party Web sites pique consumer interest in online financial management tools, banks are rolling out their own versions to help customers keep track of their deposits and spending. Also: Banks are redesigning branches with a focus on technology that can increase interaction with employees; and a look at four strategies aimed at rebuilding trust and boosting loyalty.

Mergers & Acquisitions - Midyear

Merger and acquisition activity has been almost nonexistent, but that is not to say it has been uninteresting. A paltry $822 million of deals was announced in the first half, versus $7 billion the year before. Though the pace is expected to pick up — after all, it could not get any slower, industry participants say — obstacles that made recent deal volume by far the weakest on record are unlikely to go away soon.

Ranking the Banks - Annual Report

Banks' portfolios of second mortgages mushroomed last year even as housing prices were falling sharply.

Acquisitions contributed to the growth at some of the largest institutions. Consumers' increased usage of outstanding equity lines also played a role in the trend. But some bankers concede today they should have reined in lending guidelines sooner.

Retail Delivery - Fate of Free Checking

Some say the model is not sustainable. Others claim the popular product is here to stay. But greater pressure on penalty fee income is prompting a re-examination.

Community Banking - Comparison Shopping

A new online platform is shaking up the bidding process for Small Business Administration loans, just as the secondary market is emerging from its deep freeze. For lenders, the added competition could mean more bids from investors — and higher premiums.

Analyst Roundtable - 1Q '09

Have the biggest banking companies turned the corner? Panelists in our latest Analyst Roundtable discussed the industry's near- and long-term prospects, including the potential impact of overregulation and the economy on earnings power. Also, what is keeping the experts up at night?

Retail Delivery - The In-Store Advantage

The in-store branch model is gaining ground as more firms are drawn to its low-overhead, high-contact promise.

Community Banking

The financial crisis is spurring a grassroots marketing revival. Many bankers are recognizing that if they want to hang on to customers and attract new ones, they need to be visible in their communities and available to answer questions about bailouts, deposit insurance and even capital ratios. Perhaps it's no accident, then, that small banks are establishing a reputation as safe havens.

Executive Forum 1Q '09

Respondents to the most recent Financial Services Executive Forum Survey conducted by Greenwich Associates and American Banker offered evidence that trust in the industry has taken a significant blow. The survey also showed opinions were anything but unified about the government's efforts to shore up capital in the banking system.

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Community Banking - Diving into Debt Pools?

Community banks have been slow to embrace the debt-guarantee component of the FDIC's liquidity enhancement program, because issuing debt can be expensive. But that could change now that investment banks have come up with an alternative: debt pools that resemble those established for trust-preferred securities.

Retail Delivery - Migration Made Easier

Banks are finding account switch kits can nudge potential customers into action by helping them move direct deposits, automated debits and electronic bill payments to a new account. This can keep people from abandoning efforts to change banks.

Emerging Technologies - A World Without Wires

Contactless technology has enabled issuers to embed payment capabilities inside watches, cameras, and even stickers. Coming soon: mobile phones.

Community Banking - On Small-Bank Minds

In a roundtable exchange, CEOs discuss the financial crisis and its impact on their banks. Keeping them up nights: higher deposit premiums, deteriorating asset quality, plummeting stock prices, and the threat of a regulatory revamp. On the bright side, they are winning deposits from troubled large banks.

Mergers & Acquisitions - Annual

Regionals are not eager to make major purchases to keep up with the country's megabanks, and some private-equity players want government help with deals.