PayThink

Bank of America's recent mortgage settlement with the DOJ includes a number of striking admissions about its underwriting and origination process in the run-up to the financial crisis. These facts may provide banks and correspondent lenders facing buyback demands with a fresh line of defense.

It's strategic planning season, which means it's time to discuss growth, new opportunities and the future of your members' credit union.

Are you in the cloud, or are you just making use of cloud technology?

Banks have very precise metrics for measuring profits and volatility from normal risk. Shouldn't there be an objective way to measure the extreme risk that can determine whether an institution fails or survives?

Devising a risk mitigation plan — and the training and oversight necessary to implement it — requires lenders and servicers to conduct a scientific investigation into the policies, procedures and controls they already have in place.

Apple, Samsung, PayPal, Square, Google Wallet among others along with countless financial institutions and retailers are fiercely marketing their applications to enable mobile payments.

Acquisition-hungry banks and mortgage companies need to apply the same level of scrutiny to cultural fit as they do to a firm's financial statements and balance sheets.

A program that moves distressed mortgages out of the foreclosure pipeline can save the FHA and GSEs money and give troubled borrowers a better shot at staying in their homes — but only if it's properly implemented.

News of a data breach at Home Depot stores throughout the U.S. and Canada is compounding fears on the part of card holders that “big box” and other retailers can do little to protect them from credit and debit card fraud.

Community bankers can get ahead of the competition by building strong and profitable relationships with their customers. They should start by keeping products simple and explanations forthright.