BankThink

Could getting people to save more money be as easy as changing around the office furniture? Based on Emily Garbinsky's research, the answer is yes.

There's nothing wrong with big banks gaining market share because they offer the products and services that customers want. But there's a problem when big banks can beat off their smaller rivals with a club fashioned by legislators and regulators.

Bitcoin's premise is that an open-source computer protocol could support a new global currency, without reliance on the centralized power of banks and governments. But trusting a computer protocol, without human governance, doesn't make sense. As it stands, bitcoin's governance has a long ways to go before institutions would rely on this innovative but flawed currency as a store of value.

Caution Signs Ahead for Rollback of Bank Regs; U.K. Bank Woes

Selling offshore requires proper planning, careful selection of service providers, and a thorough understanding of each new market. But each international market represents a chance to add customers and increase revenue.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including the Fed's proper role in speeding up the payment system; the perennial TBTF debate; and the privacy implications of anti-laundering regulations.

Instead of going through the front "technology" door at financial institutions, where CUs have stronger information security programs in place, they're taking the side door — through retail chains and third-party vendors.

Great boards have great dynamics among their fellow members. Contemporary research points to a parallel between successful board dynamics and overall value for a credit union.

Clearly, that letter, penned by Tom Pinnow, president of County City CU in Jefferson, Wis., had touched a nerve. You can read it on page 6 of this edition of Credit Union Journal under the headline "If Small CUs Die Off, What Happens to Movement?"

The Subsidy Reserve Act of 2015 could solve "too big to fail" and level the playing field for smaller banks by requiring the largest financial institutions to accumulate capital equal to the amount of the market subsidy they receive.