BankThink

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Bill Bartmann's fast rise and fall in the debt-buying industry is an epic tale that many thought ended nearly a decade ago. But Bartmann is determined to keep the story going.

You could say the story of the midsize bank is a glass half empty, a glass half full — or just a fragile vessel with open-ended exposure.

Will our government, for instance the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, soon move to protect consumers against banks that sell them payment protection arrangements?

"The audits accuse the five major lenders of violating the False Claims Act, a Civil War-era law crafted as a weapon against firms that swindle the government," the Huffington Post reports.

After six years at the helm of the World Council of Credit Unions, Peter Crear is retiring. Today, WOCCU represents 44 regular members and affiliates, approximately double the number when he took over as CEO.

It's the little things that happen while a mortgage loan is being originated that lead to good loans going bad, resulting in wasted time and staff resources.

This letter is to ask for help for one particular group of residents in Tuscaloosa, Ala., who have been hit particularly hard by the recent tornadoes. Corporate America CU has already generously agreed to match all donations dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.

I get it that we're all in lock-step against the Durbin Amendment. But, in marshalling our troops to actively "be against" the Durbin Amendment, it would be nice to also have a "be for" position other than the status quo.

While everyone knows that social media should be more than a cool new toy for the marketing department, the challenge we face today is setting measurable goals and expectations for what social media can realistically do for your CU.