BankThink

Many assume that a smart contract is something totally new. However, banking has used imperfect implementations of smart contracts for at least three decades.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...Targets: House Republicans are looking to scrap rules on how brokers sell retirement investments, as well as interest rate limits and disclosures on payday lenders, once President-elect Donald Trump takes office. The push is being led by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, who is under consideration to become Treasury secretary. He asserts the rules were written by bureaucrats, not Congress. He also called for stripping the Financial Stability Oversight Council of its authority to designate nonbank financial institutions as "systemically important." Wall Street Journal, New York Times, American Banker

By collaborating with consumers' favorite products or retailers, loyalty programs can get an extra punch.

Higher fees, longer turnaround times in the offing if credit unions don’t take steps to resolve issues with appraisals.

While President-elect Trump’s influence on the financial industry may ultimately be substantial, any change is going to be slow to develop — sometimes agonizingly so.

The president-elect should consider establishing an executive-level office to inform his administration on ushering in a new era of financial regulation — one that is much savvier about new technology and big data.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...Kid gloves: The Government Accountability Office released its review of the Federal Reserve's annual bank stress tests, which the Financial Times said "may pave the way towards gentler treatment" of banks. "The report recommended that the Fed share more information on the models it uses and its reasons for failing big banks, while working more closely with other agencies including the FDIC and the OCC."

Merchants are still slow to adopt mobile point of sale systems. But improvements in usability and longer battery life can turn that around.

Tech CU CEO Todd Harris seeks to answer these three key questions about what the Federal Open Market Committee will do with interest rates.

Following the regulatory orders against Wells Fargo and the resignation of its CEO, stockholders are likely to ask whether the board has responsibility and even liability for the bank's compliance failures.