PayThink

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.

Will mortgage reform rectify past discriminatory practices or close the gap between white and nonwhite rates of homeownership? The major proposals in Washington show little interest in these critical questions.

While some saw Tim Pawlenty's unexpected recommendation to strike Syria as a sign he may be weighing a return to politics, the former Minnesota governor said he is focused on his "current job" as head of the Financial Services Roundtable.

The idea of subjecting U.S. financial supervision to peer review by European and Asian financial regulators with their own problems is a bit rich to swallow.

Customers tend to "hire smilers." When otherwise comparable alternatives exist, people gravitate toward businesses that make them feel welcomed and appreciated.

If spun off from firms that rate corporate debt, raters of asset-backed securities would have less incentive to sugarcoat ratings in exchange for the promise of an issuer’s other business.