Community banking
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.
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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
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Frost Bank's Dick Evans discusses his strategy, in a highly competitive lending market, for competing on price without taking on undue risk.
July 1 -
Banks can get beyond the negative perceptions that have dogged the industry the past few years, but they need to lay the proper groundwork first. American Banker Magazine Editor in Chief Heather Landy and Reputation Institute's Anthony Johndrow analyze the results of our fourth annual survey of bank reputations.
June 25 -
Banks on the block are still trading at reasonable valuations, and their financials are offering more clarity than in the recent past. That's has some industry observers believing that the stars are aligning for deals to get done. For sellers, the dilemma is whether to take the modest multiples on offer or hold for more at the risk of missing out altogether.
June 20 -
New indications that an overdraft fee crackdown is looming has added fresh urgency to bankers' quest to expand revenues. American Banker editors discuss some of the latest twists in the industry's search for ways to generate new business and cut costs.
June 13 -
A crackdown on payday lending looks increasingly likely and risks sending low-income consumers in search unregulated financing options on the Internet and abroad. That threat is a key topic of discussion at American Bankers Underbanked Financial Services Forum, which wraps up Friday in Miami. National Editor Maria Aspan reports from the event.
June 7 -
The industry is up in arms over a proposal that would require banks to disclose in call reports specific sources of fee revenue. In question is whether the mandate would improve oversight of safety and soundness or instead is aimed at furthering the policy agenda of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and consumer advocates.
June 6 -
It's been a buoyant year for stocks but not for bank deals. Regulatory uncertainty and a failure of buyers and sellers to come to terms on price continue to stymie activity. American Banker staffers discuss whether the market is getting closer to taking off and why some big investors have been selling.
June 3
