PayThink

Banks spend a great deal of money remodeling branches. Many fork over tens of millions of dollars on remodel initiatives every year, and some of the largest banks will spend over $100 million.

The banking industry, its management teams and boards of directors have been served notice that much more will be required of them.

A lack of jail sentences for financial executives doesn't have to mean justice wasn't done.

The Federal Reserve Board is preparing to release yet another important rule required by Dodd-Frank: how and why fraud occurs in debit card transactions and who should have to pay for it.

Bankers should take these red flags into account when assessing corporate credit and vendor risk. No. 1 on the list: when a company's chairman and CEO are the same individual.

Last week, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board held its first public hearing relating to its 2011 findings that all of the Big Four CPA firms [Ernst & Young, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche and PricewaterhouseCoopers] have failed to follow generally accepted accounting principles and frequently lack independence from management.

Despite all of the new powers at their disposal, regulators continue to emphasize simplified and standardized disclosure as a critical tool to ensure consumers get a fair deal.

Why does Harp 2.0 continue the incrementalism that marred the first incarnation of the refi program and many of the housing policies the president has put forth?

The bank's plan to convert troubled loans to rentals will benefit all concerned. A special unit for servicing toxic assets can help, if run wisely. Principal reductions could seriously backfire.

It's time for our nation's leaders to get serious about job creation. Our economy is beginning to inch its way forward toward recovery, but the only way forward to real prosperity for all is through small businesses.