PayThink

While the CFPB's proposed rules may force payday lenders to adjust their business models, well-meaning ones should be able to operate in this new framework.

Merchants argue that Fed policy allows banks to overcharge stores for debit-card swipe fees, resulting in higher prices for consumers. But the revenue banks earn on interchange fees benefits all Americans, since financial institutions invest a portion of it in developing security technologies to protect consumer data.

With the card issuer mandate for EMV-ready merchants around the corner, are you prepared?

It's ironic that banks want to streamline the regulatory structure when their own structures are hardly paradigms of simplicity. Rather than weaken rules or consolidate agencies, we should focus on improving the quality of oversight — and on reducing banks' complexity.

Any banker considering filing an appeal against examination findings will first weigh the drawbacks of irking regulators. This explains the surprisingly small number of appeals that regulators have received in the last few years.

Come October, all payment card issuers, merchants and acquirers will have to make the switch to the EMV standards. Any party that doesn’t go through with the upgrade by the deadline will likely experience an increase in fraudulent payment card liability.

Banks are increasingly focusing on smartphones and tablets as the primary platforms with which to engage customers. But do they really understand how Americans use mobile devices?

Former NCUA Chairman Michael Fryzel says despite changes ongoing within the credit union movement, most credit unions remain true to the original mission of "not for profit, not for charity but for service."

Congress should take the interests of small and midsize mortgage lenders into account as it weighs regulatory reform for community banks. Exempting smaller lenders from random CFPB audits would be a good start.

While business to business (B2B) e-commerce offers tremendous opportunities to drive business growth, it is a complex landscape filled with multiple currencies, languages, tax codes and regulations.