Rolland Johannsen

While overbooking is a unique issue for the airline industry — and this may be an extreme example — the United episode is a cautionary tale for any service industry, including banking.

Under the Trump administration, the challenge for the industry is to find the proper balance between supporting post-financial crisis regulations that have worked well and campaigning for reform efforts that have been ineffective.

The newest reputational threat has nothing to do with violations of regulations or ethical norms, but rather with the extreme polarization and activism spreading through the country.

Threats to the industry's control over payments were apparent before PayPal became popular. However, risks are even more visible and real today.

Even if the cross-selling scandal is unique to Wells Fargo, banks nationwide will need to prepare for added regulatory scrutiny. Here's how.