Data Sets

Assets held by money market funds, private equity firms and other entities that make up the so-called shadow banking system stood at $67 trillion worldwide at the end of last year, according to new report by the Financial Stability Board. Supporters credit shadow banks with providing valuable services; critics warn that their lack of oversight poses systemic risk. One certainty is that they're big, with half as many assets as conventional banks, by FSB's count. Here's a look at how it defines shadow banks.

When it comes to adopting new technology and ideas, U.S. bankers have a lot to learn from their peers in other countries. The reasons often have to do with culture and regulation. Here are a few examples of foreign banks that are ahead of the pack.

Last week saw a sudden burst of activity as Congress returned after the elections. But lawmakers weren’t the only ones making news, as the CFPB, FHA and Fed also dominated headlines. Following is the most critical stories of regulation and reform

It's common to accuse the payments industry of living in the past, relying on aging systems like paper checks and magnetic-stripe cards. But the future holds some very intriguing changes — and in many cases, it’s already here.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. As excerpted from the Comments sections of AmericanBanker.com articles.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has made it clear he plans to leave office before the start of President Obama’s second term. Here are the pros and cons associated with some potential replacements.

You might have missed it, but there was big news last week—and we aren’t just talking about the delay on Basel III implementation. The election dominated the week for obvious reasons but other news was also critical. Following is our list of the most important stories in Washington during the past week:

Privately owned banks do not report to the SEC, but they can face challenges if they need capital. This list looks at banks with a physical retail presence and stock that cannot be readily traded on a stock exchange.

There is no single definition of a “mobile wallet.” Each product differs vastly in its choice of technology, audience and the basic type of payment upon which it was built — but most fit into a few simple categories.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. As excerpted from the Comments sections of AmericanBanker.com articles.

Chinese banks have clearance to invest in U.S. banks but are proceeding cautiously to avoid any missteps, industry observers say. Click through to view foreign banks that fled the U.S. because of major stumbles here or problems back home.

A number of critical races for the banking industry have been decided, though votes are still being tallied in some election contests across the country. Democrats will maintain control in the Senate, while Republicans keep the majority in the House.We offer the results of ten tight races in the Senate and House that American Banker highlighted earlier this month as critical to the industry.

Banks and their customers were battered by last week's storm, and many are still picking up the pieces. Click to see how banks are waiving fees, suspending foreclosure sales, keeping some offices closed for months and responding in other ways to this crisis.

As the presidential election looms, observers talk about changes a President Romney could make to the CFPB while regulators warn on reducing loan loss reserves too quickly. Following are the top stories from Washington last week.

The storm left many without electricity, phones and use of the roads. But in many of the affected areas, consumers and merchants continued to conduct business and found a way to handle payments.

The storm left many without electricity, phones and use of the roads. But in many of the affected areas, consumers and merchants continued to conduct business and found a way to handle payments.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. As excerpted from the Comments sections of AmericanBanker.com articles.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. As excerpted from the Comments sections of AmericanBanker.com articles.

"The Hustle," a damn-the-torpedoes loan program described in the Justice Department's recent fraud suit against Bank of America and Countrywide, is the latest in a series of unfortunate internal nicknames and expressions unearthed since the financial crisis. The following is a look at all-too-candid language from emails and other insider communications (excluding profanities) from the boom years and the meltdown that have entered the popular lexicon.