PayThink

In April the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a statement that it was adopting the "disparate impact" concept in its enforcement of the anti-discrimination provisions of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. It is doing so in a manner consistent with an Interagency Policy Statement issued in 1994 by the Department of Justice and other federal agencies involved with the enforcement of fair lending laws.

Recent delays by the CFPB and Treasury point toward a systemic policy malaise that threatens to make the housing recovery a decade-long event.

Websites such as Amazon.com are often cited as the gold standard for the online experience, but turning your financial institution website into a carbon copy of a retailer site is neither practical nor wise. No financial institution can be, or should be, just like Amazon, yet there are some strategies and tactics that banks can borrow from online retailers, particularly when it comes to cross-selling.

When making a point to banker groups about how much the week-to-week banking habits of Americans have changed in recent years, one simple question tends to create much side chatter, nods and chuckles.

A significant reason JPMorgan Chase can't be regulated effectively is that its size, amplified by the CEO's voice, puts the bank above and beyond the reach of regulators, writes Andrew Kahr.

Recently I attended a presentation by Kevin Mitnick, a well-known computer hacker turned security expert. His live demonstration showed both the ease and effectiveness of current hacking techniques. It was unnerving to witness the relatively simple, yet extremely dangerous techniques for stealing sensitive data. It gave me a greater appreciation for our information security team and the difficulties they face on a daily basis. They understand that one error or lapse in attentiveness — no matter how seemingly minor — can be the downfall of the entire company.

Who 'likes' you on Facebook was big in 2010; now it's about 'who are these people?'"

Starting and running a successful credit card program isn't a small task. But it offers credit unions a unique opportunity to meet important member needs, strengthen relationships, boost profits, diversify loan portfolios and communicate value. That's credit where credit is due.

One of the best opportunities CUs will have during the latter-half of 2012 is to position their share allocation to minimize overall cost of funds.

Now is the time for fiscal discipline to maintain credibility in international financial markets. As Europe has shown, by the time a country reaches the crisis situation, fiscal austerity might be the best of many unappealing alternatives.