BankThink

Bitcoin's mysterious inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, has apparently been discovered by Newsweek reporter, Leah McGrath Goodwin. And I'm torn.

By assessing internal needs, planning how to deal with the external pressures and weighing the value of a good risk chief, banks can make an informed decision on who guides their risk management program.

It is not right that a creditor be held liable for unintentional discrimination on the basis of less evidence than is required to prove intentional discrimination. Leveraging a settlement on threat of litigation without such evidence is an abuse of power.

The 'Emerging Prime' Market; Barclays' Bonus Explanation Falls Flat

As evidenced by recent high-profile data breach incidents at major retailers , keeping payment data secure in today’s world is an increasingly complex challenge.

If banks that performed well for their shareholders from 2002 to 2012 have so many older directors, why would some banks force directors to retire once they hit 70 or 72 years of age?

A House subcommittee is set to discuss whether U.S. financial reform impedes our ability to compete with firms overseas. But if they were truly worried about global competitiveness, there are other, more pressing issues lawmakers should be analyzing.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...Closer to Bitcoin Regulation: Japan is close to regulating cryptocurrency Bitcoin, following the collapse of Tokyo-based exchange Mt. Gox. Draft regulation, which includes a tax on Bitcoin transactions and prohibits banks and securities firms from handling the cryptocurrency, appears to treat Bitcoin more like a commodity than an actual currency, but a lawmaker, who opposes the plan, has asked for clarification. One look at this Journal quote from an anonymouse and you will understand why: "What we are considering is that bitcoin isn't a currency, but that doesn't mean it will automatically be categorized as a commodity." Despite the lack of clarity, there's already been some criticism of Japan's proposal. "If banks and securities firms can't handle Bitcoins, Japanese consumers will be stuck with illegal shadow banks like Mt. Gox, and their risk will be much higher as a result,'' one source tells Dealbook. Meanwhile, another Bitcoin site, Flexcoin, said it was shutting down on Tuesday after losing about $600,000 worth of bitcoins to a hacker attack. And Dealbook reminds everyone about Silk Road — "the online marketplace where drugs and weapons could be bought with Bitcoin" — by reporting that Christopher Nadovich, director of laboratories in the electrical and computer engineering department at Lafayette College, had a small role in the federal investigation that resulted in the site's shutdown this fall, as he provided a back-up server to the website.

Policymakers should focus less on the government's retreat from the mortgage market and more on creating the kind of investment environment needed to attract significant private capital.

No technology yet is as effective at initiating and/or strengthening real relationships as smiles, personal conversations and consultations are.