PayThink

Branch transformation is a hot topic these days — it seems everyone has a different idea of what it means. When I ask credit unions what they think of it, I get a myriad of responses.

"Engagement" gets more discussion at credit union meetings than a gathering of Kay Jewelers store managers.

Small-business owners are increasingly demanding risk advisory services along with comprehensive wealth management services, creating a potentially new revenue stream for forward-thinking banks.

No company should be designated as a systemically important financial institution before the Financial Stability Oversight Council knows what "more stringent" prudential standards the Federal Reserve will apply to it.

Card-not-present (CNP) fraud is generating quite a bit of chatter in financial and payments circles today. Much of the talk centers on the link between greater global use of the EMV standard and rising CNP fraud.

Higher regulatory and compliance costs may push more small banks to sell themselves or merge with larger institutions. But so far, community bank consolidation rates are following historical patterns.

Collateralized loan obligations outperformed in the crisis. If regulators can exempt a vast swath of mortgages from risk-retention requirements, surely they can do the same for senior, secured corporate loans.

A bill scheduled for a House vote Tuesday afternoon, designed to help Somali-Americans send money home, highlights the longstanding tension between anti-money laundering regulations and global financial inclusion.

Read alone, a recent report from the CFPB might suggest that arbitration clauses in banking contracts could disadvantage consumers, but it was only a preliminary look that failed to paint a complete picture of arbitration's costs and benefits.

Regulators are seeking to limit risky behavior. Shareholders are intent on paying for performance. The result in 2013 was modest gains for bank CEOs and a shift to long-term payouts.