PayThink

Millions of Americans rely on payday loans to meet their short-term credit needs, and new research suggests that they understand the costs and terms associated with the product.

It is tempting to believe we can avoid another crisis by giving regulators additional controls over the financial markets. A more effective approach would be to acknowledge regulators' limits.

We usually think of card fraud as hurting just the merchant who accepts the card, but when one merchant accepts payment from a stolen card it hurts other merchants.

More banks are competing for underserved customers and working to understand millennials as a group that's full of potential, according to speakers at a recent American Banker conference.

Banks are likely to reconsider product strategies associated with minimum balance requirements and earnings credit features as they prepare to comply with Basel III.

The DOJ wants the banks it threatens with litigation to admit accountability, pay hefty penalties and takes steps to satisfy the public thirst for payback. But the financial system would be better served if the bulk of regulation was left to the banking agencies.

The debut of Apple Pay has far-reaching implications for the future of the U.S. payments system and has cast a bright light into a murky mobile wallet payments environment. Some may even wonder if Apple Pay is in fact poised to eclipse plastic card payments.

Apple has a high-profile name and knack for revolutionizing the markets in which it operates. But consumer confusion over a myriad of mobile payment options and technologies may be a stumbling block for Apple Pay.

The debut of Apple Pay has far-reaching implications for the future of the U.S. payments system and has cast a bright light into a murky mobile wallet payments environment. Some may even wonder if Apple Pay is in fact poised to eclipse plastic card payments.

Depending on who you ask, the launch of Apple Pay was either exciting or uninspiring. The truth is far more complicated — particularly in terms of how it will impact the dynamics of Apple's relationship with banks.