PayThink

The House Financial Services Committee squared off Wednesday over concerns with "too big to fail" and how the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act could possibly be improved to prevent any future bank bailouts.

Too many banks still make too much money at the expense of their customers, and it is one of the biggest reasons the American public has lost faith in them.

Show me an industry with artificially high barriers to entry, and you will almost certainly find dissatisfied customers paying higher prices to large, protected providers.

Institutions need to realize that, given the relative health of their asset portfolios and the current regulatory environment, valuations and deal prices will be below historical averages.

Sheila Bair, the former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairman, urged Senate leaders to confirm Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at New York's Bryant Park Tuesday.

Criminals will always find new ways to steal money. Banks still need a realistic timetable from the card networks to upgrade to chip and PIN.

Banks and regulators have proposed bail-in mechanisms for capital plans. Exposing creditors to losses could help protect taxpayers and depositors, but is long-term debt an adequate substitute for equity?

Reverse stress tests, effective board oversight and incentive programs that encourage caution curb the tendency to accept excessive risk in the pursuit of business objectives.

Much must still be clarified about the new currencies and few have developed viable or secure business models that warrant defensive movement from the traditional banking sector just yet.

Choosing the right technology vendors can differentiate independent sales organizations and provide a competitive advantage.