Community banking

On the West Coast, bankers are talking about starting new banks after a long period with scarcely any new charters, according to industry consultant and former California regulator Walter Mix. While in the aftermath of the crisis regulators seemed to have an unofficial moratorium on de novos, they now appear poised to evaluate applications on the merits, he says. Meanwhile, banks seeking approvals for mergers today can expect to be evaluated on a host of compliance matters, including unfair and deceptive acts and practices, Mix says.

Following a wave of enforcement actions against global and national institutions, regulators are now scrutinizing the anti-money laundering controls of community banks, says Walter Mix, a consultant and former regulator. Examiners are raising questions about banks' transaction monitoring systems, as well as the documentation supporting decisions about enhanced due diligence (such as whether to file suspicious activity reports), he says.

Financial Services Roundtable CEO Tim Pawlenty discusses how banks can better sell themselves to new, young professionals, and how financial services firms are going to increasingly resemble technology companies.

Financial Services Roundtable CEO Tim Pawlenty discusses the after-effects of Dodd-Frank, the need to find regulatory balance between providing protection and hindering economic activity, concerns over the Johnson-Crapo GSE reform proposal, and more.

Banks are adding more stock to their top employees' compensation packages, according to executive recruiter Rod Taylor. That can help some bankers reap bigger payouts if they work for a company that is likely to get sold, although for some bankers, "cash is still king," Taylor says.

Banking is dominated by leaders who are straight, white and male, despite copious evidence that greater diversity at senior management levels improves companies' performance. American Banker editors discuss why diversity efforts are falling short at banks and regulatory agencies, and what executives can do to fix these problems.

South Carolina-based CertusBank attracted a half billions dollars in commitments to buy failed banks in the wake of the financial crisis. How the early high hopes have been dashed offers important lessons to the industry, regulators and outside investors.