PayThink

Millennials were rocked by the Great Recession and excessive student loan debt. Now older members of this generation are finally coming into their own — which means they're also getting mortgages, opening credit cards and saving for retirement.

Critics say the SEC uses too liberal a hand in granting waivers that allow firms that violate securities laws to be exempted from certain penalties. But the agency needs these waivers to adjust rules designed to be overly broad.

The payments environment is undergoing unprecedented change, yet many banks and payment companies are saddled with aging infrastructure which makes it costly to support new products and features. Additionally, fragmented governance and siloed business units running disparate payments operations can stifle innovation.

A recent Credit Union Journal story asked several credit unions that specifically avoid referring to themselves as credit unions why they made that decision and what sort of results they've seen from it.

The Fed was right to aggressively lower interest rates after the 2008 crisis. But continuing with zero interest rates and quantitative easing for seven years after the crisis is in conflict with the goal of increased employment and economic growth.

A two-tiered system of regulation could encourage small banks to maintain their relationship-based business model and prevent big banks from using insured deposits to conduct risky activities.

Payment companies need to pay attention to social payments, which will get a major boost as consumers get more comfortable with mobile transactions.

Millennials may be a critical market segment for some banks, but the people now in their 20s and 30s also tend to be low-balance, transitory accountholders. It may make more sense for banks to focus their marketing dollars on the ex-slackers known as Gen X instead.

In-store bankers are experts in finding creative ways to catch potential customers' attention. That's a skill that every modern bank employee needs to hone.

The Merchant Customer Exchange's mobile payment app is developing slower than expected, but the venture has advantages that should allow it to avoid harm from the delay.