PayThink

Tishman Speyer Properties just handed more ammunition to those who argue that homeowners have no particular moral or civic obligation to stay current on their mortgage payments.

It is uncertain whether the Volcker Rule would lead to reduced risk-taking – or more. The proposed restrictions also do not appear to eliminate the problem of “too big to fail,” which might be more accurately described as “too important to fail.”

Noticed an ad recently that appeared in Enterprise, the magazine of Canada's credit union movement. The ad was from AIG and was headlined, "We can't predict the future..." Talk about living your message.

Are you overwhelmed with the regulations and requirements to keep your data secure? Are all the reports in the news of security breaches exposing sensitive information causing you, your senior management team and board serious concern about your ability to keep sensitive information private? If not, should you feel overwhelmed and concerned?

As I sat there listening to the Countess, my mind kept wandering into dangerous territory. After all, it's highly unwise to lose focus when $400 billion and the balance of power in our American Democracy are up for grabs! The Countess was earnest; this was really serious stuff-the 2010 U.S. Census!

Over the past year the Obama administration largely brushed off Paul Volcker’s views about restricting the size and activities of the biggest banks. But Volcker’s persistence is paying off now

IMGCAP(1)]

There’s a critical discussion of peer-to-peer lending in the blogosphere this week that’s definitely worth a read.

In case you missed it in the Morning Scan, an Op-Ed in today's Wall Street Journal by Arkadi Kuhlmann, CEO of ING Direct USA, offers one of the clearest explanations we've seen for the less-than-stellar results of the Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP. (Aside from the fact that HAMP doesn't reduce a borrower's principal, that is.)

The banking industry could defy the old adage about sticks and stones. All the name-calling in Washington these days has the potential to do real damage to banks and the economy.