Resources

"Operations Risk" has become a popular topic lately among bankers, regulators and consultants with services to sell. American Banker editors discuss whether the discipline is anything more than a repackaging of mainstream management and whether it could end up doing more harm than good.Related article: Bankers, Regulators Embrace Fuzzy Science of Ops Risk

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Congress are pushing for fixes to the student loan market, but some of their proposals are focused on the relatively small portion of loans made by banks and other private lenders.

The Dodd-Frank Act's ban on pure commercial ownership of industrial loan companies is set to expire in July. American Banker editors discuss the pros and cons of allowing a commercial enterprise like Wal-Mart into the banking business at a time when the previous argument against doing so has been turned on its head.

Mega-banks are feeling pressure from shareholders and the public in ways that seemed unlikely even a few weeks ago.

Innovation has been critical to the Kansas City, Mo., bank ever since it introduced the first drive-up window nearly a century ago. Chief executive Mariner Kemper and Chief Financial Officer Michael Hagedorn discuss their strategy for mixing proprietary and off-the-shelf technologies in their bid to keep a step ahead of the competition.

The longer yields stay low, "the bigger the problem becomes for banks," UMB CEO Mariner Kemper says. A low cost of funds helps UMB resist temptations presented by cutthroat competition and looser loan terms, Kemper adds.

Big banks and regionals have been pounded by denial of service attacks but small banks less so. Bank Technology News staffers discuss what community bankers should do to prepare for the risk that cyber-criminals will target them next.

Regulators are intent on reducing incentives in CEO pay. Shareholders fear they'll go too far. Susan O'Donnell of Pearl Meyer & Partners discusses where the debate is headed.

President Obama has nominated Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Editors discuss why the move has little chance of winning Congressional approval and is emblematic of Washington's housing reform dilemma.

As pressure on corporate directors has increased over the past decade, the relationship between directors has changed and governance has improved, says former JPMorgan Chase chairman and chief executive William Harrison.