BankThink

Banks in the U.S. tend to exist for about half the life span of the average human being. It doesn't have to be that way.

The National Credit Union Administration is addressing two of the main reasons why new institutions aren't being formed — making it easier for the organizers to raise the required capital and easing the burden of the application process, says Todd Harper, the agency's chairman.

Edward M. Lamont's biography of his grandfather, Thomas W. Lamont, who advised presidents and extended credit to foreign nations as JPMorgan & Co.'s chief executive in the first half of the 20th century, will be rereleased in paperback this fall. Given that more concise, analytical histories of the banker have been published since, this long tome may have been better left collecting dust.

Banking crises always recur. But time and again, bankers have been shown to operate on the assumption that good times are permanent.

In the aftermath of last year's racially motivated mass shooting in a predominantly Black community in Buffalo, New York, American Banker reporter Allissa Kline explores what responsibility banks have to help segregated, impoverished communities that were shaped in part by past discriminatory lending practices.

If capital requirements are increased, they must be constructed in a way that doesn't unduly burden smaller banks and their fintech partners.

Many of the fees that the agency derides as unnecessary are funds owed to medical practices, homebuilders and educational institutions.

The regulatory overhaul for large and midsized banks could lead to stronger pressure for those banks to merge in the coming years while leaving smaller banks less competitive — and arguably less stable.

Consistent wins aren't typically about continuously introducing novel strategies, but about better and more consistent execution with proven ones.

The need to create a pipeline of female leaders in the male-dominated fintech space is urgent and deserves the industry's attention.