Opinions

Phones aren’t the solution, they’re the problem. But behavior analysis helps improve security.

A BankThink post on the snail’s pace of payments sparks a discussion of how red tape stops financial institutions from leveraging social media. Have banks hit a social media stalemate?

The 2008 crisis bruised nonfinancial companies that rely on the markets to raise money and hedge risk. Take it from consumer goods makers — global standards like LEI will make doing business easier, in good times and bad.

The credit card industry's proposed deal to settle long-pending retailer lawsuits set insiders chattering, divided over how much each side won and lost in the deal.

Risk management is fundamentally a social science built on market data that sometimes misbehaves. The models are fed by crucial assumptions about the likelihood of different market outcomes.

Financial institutions and technology companies are working hard to bring location-based advertising to life, but research in psychology suggests those same offers may be draining a limited resource: our willpower.

I urge travelers to San Francisco to take a tour and visit some of the many startups, disruptors and success stories in the area.

Websites such as Amazon.com are often cited as the gold standard for the online experience, but turning your financial institution website into a carbon copy of a retailer site is neither practical nor wise. No financial institution can be, or should be, just like Amazon, yet there are some strategies and tactics that banks can borrow from online retailers, particularly when it comes to cross-selling.

Recently I attended a presentation by Kevin Mitnick, a well-known computer hacker turned security expert. His live demonstration showed both the ease and effectiveness of current hacking techniques. It was unnerving to witness the relatively simple, yet extremely dangerous techniques for stealing sensitive data. It gave me a greater appreciation for our information security team and the difficulties they face on a daily basis. They understand that one error or lapse in attentiveness — no matter how seemingly minor — can be the downfall of the entire company.

Banks today are searching for ways to increase profitability while also navigating a growing number of regulations that require stronger risk management. The result is that banks are trying to pivot back into growth mode while simultaneously needing to manage their exposure more rigorously.