BankThink

Sheila Bair, the former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairman, urged Senate leaders to confirm Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at New York's Bryant Park Tuesday.

Criminals will always find new ways to steal money. Banks still need a realistic timetable from the card networks to upgrade to chip and PIN.

Banks and regulators have proposed bail-in mechanisms for capital plans. Exposing creditors to losses could help protect taxpayers and depositors, but is long-term debt an adequate substitute for equity?

Reverse stress tests, effective board oversight and incentive programs that encourage caution curb the tendency to accept excessive risk in the pursuit of business objectives.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...Senate Housing Finance Reform Plan Drops: The newly unveiled Corker-Warner plan enjoyed strong support Tuesday from various quarters — senators of both parties, the White House and mortgage industry reps all sounded positive notes — but the papers remind their readers that the overhaul is still likely going nowhere. Right now House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, is the most obvious obstacle. But as American Banker's Victoria Finkle notes, the top Democrat (Sen. Tim Johnson) and Republican (Sen. Mike Crapo) on the Senate Banking Committee might be another roadblock, since neither endorsed the plan. The FT reports that the price of preferred shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were largely unchanged Tuesday, reflecting an apparent belief among investors that the two mortgage giants might still be resurrected in some form. On the substance of the bipartisan Senate plan, the Washington Post provides some detail on its downpayment and skin-in-the-game requirements.

Much must still be clarified about the new currencies and few have developed viable or secure business models that warrant defensive movement from the traditional banking sector just yet.

Choosing the right technology vendors can differentiate independent sales organizations and provide a competitive advantage.

Replacing Fannie and Freddie with a federal catastrophic reinsurance agency is smart. Putting the wrong leader (like a politician) in charge of the new mortgage agency would be disastrous.

Filling this increasingly prevalent and critical position presents the perfect opportunity for a bank to bring a female executive into its C-suite.

The Supreme Court is set to hear the Noel Canning v. National Labor Relations Board case, which calls into question several recess appointments President Obama made last year. The Supreme Court's decision on the Canning case could have a significant impact on Richard Cordray, who was recess appointed as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on the same day that NLRB appointments were made.