BankThink

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including the financial inequalities exposed by the Baltimore riots and whether the changes to Dodd-Frank proposed in Sen. Richard Shelby's regulatory relief plan go too far.

Sen. Richard Shelby's attempt to reform Dodd-Frank could ease key bank regulations that improve the safety and soundness of big banks. That would be an immense disservice to the American taxpayers who might bear the cost of the changes with future bailouts.

Credit unions that offer services such as mobile banking, will have a competitive advantage by providing additional touch points, delivering a top-notch customer experience and engaging with customers via their preferred method of banking.

Moreover, conventional wisdom says that these people are understandably wary of going further into debt and therefore don't have much of an appetite for additional loans, even if a credit union was willing to make them.

B of A's Board Backs Moynihan; Is Nick Szabo the Real Bitcoin Creator?

Many payments companies face challenges from complex money transmitter laws that could be simplified if a pending change in North Carolina is adopted by other states.

It's difficult to draw useful lessons from a small pilot, since banks typically stack the deck for success. Trying out new projects at average locations that serve average customers can give banks a much better picture of the obstacles that lie ahead.

Vendors that specialize in Bank Secrecy Act compliance can help ease community banks' regulatory burden while strengthening their controls.

Credit Cards Seek Merchants for Partnerships; Starbucks Mobile Hack?

While unused credit largely hasn't been addressed in the U.S., in six countries—Brazil, Turkey, Argentina, Greece, Mexico and Israel—optimizing unused credit is enabling interest-free credit-card based installment plans.