Retail & Commercial

Readers opine on prospects for the midterm elections, respond to Facebook's forays into collecting bank data, weigh in on new overdraft legislation and more.

Good old-fashioned commercial credit analysts are a dying breed, David Nicholson says. Community banks need them to stay competitive in C&I, but training courses have been cut back. So he’s on a mission to teach as many students as he can.

The Chicago-based Hutchinson, Shockey, Erley & Co. focuses exclusively on municipal securities.

The proposed Piermont Bank would be based in Midtown Manhattan. It is the second de novo being planned in New York.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said it is hard to imagine how Wells Fargo's $8 million remediation plan would correct a mistake that led to 400 wrongful foreclosures.

While the looming loan-loss accounting standard has been criticized for its complexity and the potential cost to implement, some advocates believe it could also lead to better pricing decisions and improve communication within a bank.

Interactive teller machines and other solutions are helping credit unions improve service for members whose primary language is not English.

While Workers United will no longer own more than half of Amalgamated's stock, it will remain the bank's biggest investor.

Facebook is seeking customer data from big banks. Executives say it's not clear what the benefit would be, but the drawbacks are easy to tally.

Montana Sen. Jon Tester was among a handful of Democrats central to passing regulatory relief this spring. Bankers need to back his re-election regardless of party affiliation.