Other Topics
Alternative Payments
Payments executives, technology vendors and merchants are developing and testing systems that let people make purchases electronically without credit or debit cards. Retailers say making it easier to spend money could attract more customers. But many of these methods have the potential to eat into banks' interchange revenue, which is making financial companies uncomfortable.
Banks in Wealth Management — Many Moving Parts
In an increasingly competitive environment, institutions have been rethinking their approaches to providing wealth management — adding depth or acquiring scale; developing outsourcing partnerships; or shifting to open architectures. Following is a selection of recent coverage of key developments.
Competitive Threats: How Small Banks are Coping
Ask community bankers what is keeping them up nights and many will say "competition" — for loans, deposits, fee business and even talent. The competition is coming from big banks, nonbanks, credit unions, Farm Credit lenders, and other community banks, and bankers say it has never been fiercer. This collection of articles looks at some of these competitive threats, how some community banks are coping, and how others are trying to separate themselves from the pack.
P-to-P Lending
Companies that allow friends and strangers to lend and borrow money online are becoming more accepted within the financial services industry, but are also facing more regulatory concern. Some have had to temporarily shut down while to revamp their business models, but have emerged with new services, notably secondary markets. One thing is clear: you don't need to be a banker to make a loan, and you don't need to visit a bank to get one.
