PayThink

Congress must create mechanisms to dampen the volatility of housing finance, writes James Lockhart, the former regulator for Fannie and Freddie, on the fifth anniversary of their takeover by the government.

Credit union leaders are "Storming the Hill" this week during NAFCU's Congressional Caucus with a purpose: to demand relief from the growth of new regulations that affect credit unions' ability to serve their member-owners.

Harland Connections CEO Raj Shivdasani urges credit unions to prepare for untethered banking, or "Infrastructure as a Service" (Iaas); how Square is aiming to harness the "informal economy"; and more.

For those closely connected to the mission of community-based financial institutions, the consumer call to action may be as strong as ever, but how do credit unions reach general consumers who may have tuned out the pro-CU messages?

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

The law's biggest mistake was failing to consolidate financial regulators, our Editor at Large says, but there are plenty of other shortcomings as well.

Recent acquisitions by MB Financial and PacWest illustrate how deals can add value. M&A is returning as a valid alternative for implementing strategy that will reshape the industry.

The recent court ruling on debit interchange fees should remind the payments industry how harmful the Durbin amendment is.

Strengthening the underlying loan manufacturing process and diversifying this risk in the secondary market remain critical to ensuring the integrity of the market.

The Basel system has sanctioned bank balance sheets on the verge of insolvency, but in doing so it may have permitted much more lending and much more trading.