Opinions

Have you ever caught yourself paying a $3 ATM fee to avoid driving across town? Add up the value of your time, gasoline costs, the need to complete a necessary task and it's easy to justify that $3.

Cybercriminals will target small banks, mobile platforms and cutting-edge payment forms in an effort to delay service and obtain data next year.

Successful banks are, among other things, focusing on education and employee training courses, establishing a formal enterprise risk management department and tying compensation to clearly defined best practices.

The crisis gave financial innovation a bad rap. Don't let that stifle fresh thinking.

If banks apply a standard of parity, they will wind up in a holding pattern because right now and for the foreseeable future, Internet banking is not keeping pace with mobile platforms.

Smartphone capabilities, like instant Internet access, integrated cameras and GPS systems, have given consumers more control over their banking relationship and are forcing financial institutions to adapt.

Massive regulation provides a deep moat protecting large financial institutions against competition from community banks and innovators.

In the past, bank investment aimed at gaining a proprietary edge through new methods of consumer payment has consistently been poorly rewarded. Expect another repeat.

Know where - and when - your bank's target audience goes online for information and social interaction. It’s better to have just two social media channels that are well-supported than five left unattended.

Rather than invest heavily in one big risky project, banks should concentrate on many small innovations, beta test them and invest where customer feedback is positive.