Community banking
"Insane" is how one bank CEO characterized what he's seen recently in the competition among banks to win business by loosening loan terms. American Banker editors discuss the trend and the dangers it poses.
-
Jim Simpson, CTO of City Bank Texas, explains how and why his community bank has been the first U.S. bank to go live with several new mobile banking tools.
August 29 -
A New Jersey credit union has agreed to accept accounts transferred from a trading exchange that handles Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. The move, apparently aimed at attracting business from investors and financial institutions that trade in the alternative forms of tender, could provide them with a much needed level of legitimacy. Staff reporters discuss.
August 27
-
Government authorities say that 70 million Americans are either underbanked and unbanked. Yet many of these people are well served by the financial system. American Banker staffers discuss whether the issue of the financially underserved is overblown and if so what may be behind the trend.
August 22 -
Many community bankers are looking to expand into new types of activity to bolster their results in a time of sluggish loan demand. However, venturing into everything from wealth management to credit cards to cybersecurity poses formidable risks as well as rewards. American Banker staffers discuss the trend.
August 12 -
Are banks destined to become trusted repositories for personal information as some pundits predict or is the notion utter nonsense? That was one hot topic of conversation during a recent Twitter Chat hosted by American Banker on the future of banking. The publication's BankThink editors discuss.
August 6 -
Citigroup and Wells Fargo are laying off hundreds of mortgage workers, as the boom in home loan refinances starts to taper off. The job cuts are a familiar story for the cyclical mortgage business, but they signal more bad news for the banks that have seen refis as a bright spot amid lackluster sources of revenue.
July 25 -
The relationship between traditional financial institutions and startups is a recurring theme in BankThink's series, "The Future Model of Banking." While young companies are nimbler and more innovative, banks have the advantages of regulatory protections and incumbency. So while the disruptive newcomers could make banks obsolete, these entrepreneurs may be able to accomplish more by working with banks than they might on their own.
July 23 -
Bank buyers are starting to pay more for assets; valuations soared this month in Prosperitys deal for FVNB and MB Financials deal for Taylor Capital, which could be the sign of increased prices for future bank M&A.
July 22 -
Barclays is in an awkward situation that will ring familiar to bankers in the U.S. The U.K. bank has been terminating relationships with money transmitters, including several that wire funds to Somalia, a ravaged country that relies heavily on remittances from immigrants in the West. The bank says it's uncomfortable with the risk and expense of serving these businesses in light of recent fines levied against big financial institutions for anti-money laundering lapses. But now it's being accused of starting a humanitarian crisis.
July 15
