PayThink

This is 2014, not 2008. The problem is not subprime mortgage lenders, but a pendulum of federal regulation that has swung to such an extreme that worthy, qualified borrowers are being turned away.

None of us is above human error, but it's worth reminding financial institutions that these interactions can affect the psychological well-being of their clients.

Regulators should create a risk management quality rating that may be used in examinations and deposit insurance pricing. Banks should build capabilities that comprehensively assess the quality of their risk management processes tied to strategic business goals.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) this week on BankThink.

Voice activation could give consumers increased visibility into their accounts and keep them connected to their bank.

Piggybacking on Sundie Seefried's letter ("Do Two-Thirds of Credit Unions Really Lack Relevancy Today?", CU Journal, Dec. 23), we also need to keep in mind the enormous political impact of small credit union volunteers and staff.

The two primary functions of banking should be to take deposits and to make loans; all other services should be supplementary to these two primary activities.

As mobile devices continue to pervade society, fully featured, adaptable technology that can provide an exceptional user experience will be the key to future mobile markets.

In the wake of the Target breach, I am struck by the almost universal lack of understanding of the essential issues at hand. Consumers are the primary victims, but merchants take a hit, too.

Bitcoin may no longer be a niche currency. A growing number of merchants, seeing the advantages of Bitcoin's near real-time, low-cost payment network, are beginning to accept the digital currency. Soon, many more merchants could start drinking the cryptocurrency Kool-Aid.