Consumer banking
President Obama belatedly weighed in Tuesday with a vision of how to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the future of housing finance. American Banker editors discuss how the White Houses involvement is likely to influence the debate.
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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 -
Bitcoin fanatics and skeptics met under the same roof at a recent event in New York. Now that the digital currency is recognized under guidance from Fincen and bitcoin users established a self-regulating organization, entrepreneurs and payments-industry veterans are finding some common ground.
August 6
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Wells Fargo has become the latest big bank to halt sales of delinquent credit card debt to outside collectors. The move comes as collections activities face mounting regulatory scrutiny. American Banker editors discuss the evolving landscape and whats at stake for the industry.
August 1 -
Neff Hudson, emerging channels executive at USAA, shares his views on what banks should be doing about mobile payments.
August 1 -
Just when banks thought they had adjusted to life under the Durbin cap on debit card interchange fees, a court has deal them a huge and unexpected blow. Bucking the usual judicial practice of deferring to regulators, a federal judge has ruled that the Fed set the cap too high at 21 cents and disregarded the intent of the Dodd-Frank Act. Expect appeals and a protracted fight that could take years to settle the matter.
July 31 -
State laws requiring money-transmitter licenses have raised the barriers to entry for startups trying to compete with banks and entrenched companies like PayPal. But by keeping out smaller, more nimble payments companies, state regulators could affect the banking industry's long-term innovation and growth.
July 26 -
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
