Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

President Obama has nominated Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Editors discuss why the move has little chance of winning Congressional approval and is emblematic of Washington's housing reform dilemma.

Regulators are intent on reducing incentives in CEO pay. Shareholders fear they'll go too far. Susan O'Donnell of Pearl Meyer & Partners discusses where the debate is headed.

Big banks and regionals have been pounded by denial of service attacks but small banks less so. Bank Technology News staffers discuss what community bankers should do to prepare for the risk that cyber-criminals will target them next.

The longer yields stay low, "the bigger the problem becomes for banks," UMB CEO Mariner Kemper says. A low cost of funds helps UMB resist temptations presented by cutthroat competition and looser loan terms, Kemper adds.

Innovation has been critical to the Kansas City, Mo., bank ever since it introduced the first drive-up window nearly a century ago. Chief executive Mariner Kemper and Chief Financial Officer Michael Hagedorn discuss their strategy for mixing proprietary and off-the-shelf technologies in their bid to keep a step ahead of the competition.

Mega-banks are feeling pressure from shareholders and the public in ways that seemed unlikely even a few weeks ago.

The Dodd-Frank Act's ban on pure commercial ownership of industrial loan companies is set to expire in July. American Banker editors discuss the pros and cons of allowing a commercial enterprise like Wal-Mart into the banking business at a time when the previous argument against doing so has been turned on its head.

Bank of the West is putting a big focus on small-business lending while waiting for the sluggish loan growth environment to improve, says Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head. Harmening spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

Bank of the West is trying to expand its lending, even to small-business borrowers who are initially turned down for new loans, while managing risk prudently. Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head, discusses the bank's efforts to increase business but control risk. He spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.

Banks competing for new loans can be irrational and "a little scary" in terms of pricing, says Andy Harmening, a senior executive vice president and regional banking group head at Bank of the West. He spoke to American Banker at the annual Best Practices in Retail Banking Symposium.