Opinions

I recently recounted a personal story to a bank's management team that I've shared frequently over the years. I tell it to drive home the point about the importance of eliminating "clutter" that accumulates in our organizations over time. As the group laughed, I assured them that, sadly, this was a true story.

Cash and traditional cards are entrenched. Without rewards, the digital wallets are unlikely to make a dent.

Earlier this month, Citi announced the expansion of its popular "thankyou" program with a new Facebook app. If the number of likes (185,000 and counting) on Citi's page is any indication, it appears Citi has found a compelling way to engage its youngest and most fickle customers in the place they spend most of their digital time.

A poster boy for the digital currency now says credit cards are “way simpler.” His fictional counterpart in the "Bitcoin for Dummies" episode of "The Good Wife" is similarly disillusioned.

A letter to the editor in response to "Citi’s Facebook App Exposes the Perils and Rewards of Social Media," published online Jan. 3 and in print Jan. 4.

Banks today find themselves in a strategic box as seemingly impenetrable as one of their vaults.

Fearless forecasts for consumer finance and bank technology in the new year.

World of Warcraft players are willing to buy security tokens at $6.50 a pop. Why aren't bank customers?

More than anything else, Steve Jobs was passionate about design – design that leads to improved usability. His belief that both hardware and software should be functional without training sessions and manuals has changed the way many industries look at their software. But will these ideas make it into banking?

The average checking account costs banks about $350 annually, American Banker reported this month. But whether banks should use that estimate in determining individual customer profitability remains up for debate.