PayThink

Now that NCUA has said it has no objections to some corporates moving forward with plans to raise new capital, it is also is a good time to look back at how and why corporates came to be, as much of their good work is simply taken for granted.

Most would agree that the recent financial industry woes have unfairly penalized community banks, resulting in an increasing scope of regulation and harsher regulatory enforcement.

Do small banks deserve to be kept alive with affirmative action set-asides? Should retailers be in the business of subsidizing community banks' uncompetitive debit card operations?

Strategies such as "One HSBC" — which sound good in an analytical report, consulting presentation or boardroom — don't work equally well in 88+ countries.

Business checking accounts are in for a change now that interest will be permitted. Mid-size banks have the biggest opportunity to win over new clients.

Retail banks find themselves staring down an outsized challenge: how to drive growth?

The problems with "Too Big to Fail" is not just what happens should a large firm approach failure. Indeed, that may be the least expensive and dangerous problem with the TBTF. Arguably the biggest problem is what the continuance of TBTF — reinforced by the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act — is doing right now.

The supervisory relationship is, in its way, stronger even than the bonds of matrimony. There are no divorces in banking. Despite the many temptations, and even the occasional justifications, bankers cannot indulge their passions and treat examiners harshly.

The dilemma for community bank directors is to choose between minimizing their personal liability and the useful function that board reviews of individual loans can serve.

Citigroup has so far come off looking good in how it has fought off its website breach — 99% of its cardholders were unaffected, and a recent New York Times story portrayed Citi as the victim of "a team of sophisticated thieves" — but the approach of Citi's foes wasn't all that sophisticated.