Consumer banking
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.
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The Department of Justice faces a serious challenge to its aggressive pursuit of fair lending cases following a Supreme Court decision to hear a case involving the controversial theory of "disparate impact." American Banker editors discuss the implications of the high-profile case for banks and the rest of the mortgage industry.
June 24 -
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
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The Federal Housing Finance Agency has hired a force-placed insurance industry lobbyist to simultaneously advise the government on the same issues. Is the move is indicative of a federal housing regulatory regime that's been coopted by the regulated?
June 19 -
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 -
Banks and insurers are expected to make the case at closed-door hearings being held later this week by the Federal Housing Finance Agency that forced-placed homeowner's policies should remain the purview of state regulators. The discussions are part of a broader debate over how to reform the force-placed insurance market. The controversy revolves around claims by consumer advocates, state regulators and others that banks and insurers have colluded to drive up the cost of such coverage, which is "force-placed" on often struggling homeowners who allow their standard hazard policies to lapse.
June 12 -
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has released a report in which it found widespread misuse of overdraft fees among banks. Agency acting director Richard Cordray warned of potential harm to consumers and indicated that action is likely. American Banker editors discuss what the CFPB found how it's likely to respond in a market worth $32 billion in revenues to the banking industry.
June 12 -
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 -
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau appears close to clamping down on fees on account overdrafts and payday loans. That's left some observers fearful low-income consumers will end up losing access to financial services many count on to make ends meet.
June 5
