PayThink

If you read through enough material loss reviews prepared by the FDIC's Inspector General — essentially autopsies on failed banks — certain common themes emerge. One of the recurring themes is that many closed banks overconcentrated in commercial real estate and development loans. The rapid decline in property values, reflected by appraisals, then rendered the bank undercapitalized.

Federal regulators seem to be of two minds about the Community Reinvestment Act, a law with an explicit and limited congressional purpose of requiring each banking regulator "to use its authority when examining financial institutions, to encourage such institutions to help meet the credit needs of the local communities in which they are chartered consistent with the safe and sound operation of such institutions."

Bank Transfer Day was supposedly a shot across banking's bow — a warning of customer unrest, diminished trust and fee intolerance.

Bankers drew the wrong conclusions from years of only insignificant losses resulting from poor liquidity risk management.

More than anything else, Steve Jobs was passionate about design – design that leads to improved usability. His belief that both hardware and software should be functional without training sessions and manuals has changed the way many industries look at their software. But will these ideas make it into banking?

Like the boxer was in his prime, financial crises are discombobulatingly devastating.

Continental Illinois' internal auditors had been documenting the deterioration of underwriting quality. Unfortunately, no one listened.

American Banker's Security Watch blog is being discontinued to allow us to better focus our attention on building a broader and better risk management section. Our reporting on security topics will remain a prominent part of our coverage.

An online poker site operator pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

Occupy Wall Street will enlist the aid and support of B, C, and D-list celebrities in numerous REO takeovers around the country. And other bold predictions.