2014 Summer Reading List for Bankers
June 10, 2014 11:00 AM
Summer Reading List for Commercial Bankers 2014
American Banker asked readers, BankThink contributors and staff members to recommend books for bankers to take on their summer vacations. Share your own suggestions in the comments section below.
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"<a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo17241623.html" target="_blank">House of Debt: How They (and You) Caused the Great Recession, and How We Can Prevent It from Happening Again</a>"
Authors: Atif Mian and Amir Sufi
The book's thesis is that "the Great Recession of 2008-2010 was caused by debt deflation not collapsing banks. Thus, the policy prescription of helping the banks (a.k.a. Geithner doctrine) was wrong. Instead, we should have helped the depressed homeowners more. It presents a balanced alternative view to the established view." J.V. Rizzi, banking industry consultant and investor
The book's thesis is that "the Great Recession of 2008-2010 was caused by debt deflation not collapsing banks. Thus, the policy prescription of helping the banks (a.k.a. Geithner doctrine) was wrong. Instead, we should have helped the depressed homeowners more. It presents a balanced alternative view to the established view." J.V. Rizzi, banking industry consultant and investor
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"Blessed Assurance," from the collection "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-People-Allan-Gurganus/dp/0375704272" target="_blank">White People</a>"
Author: Alan Gurganus
"['Blessed Assurance'] is a powerful instructional short story on business ethics. The protagonist is selling bogus insurance to poor people and he knows it." Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, managing principal at MRV Associates
"['Blessed Assurance'] is a powerful instructional short story on business ethics. The protagonist is selling bogus insurance to poor people and he knows it." Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, managing principal at MRV Associates
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"<a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10177.html" target="_blank">Fragile by Design: The Political Origins of Banking Crises and Scarce Credit</a>"
Authors: Charles W. Calomiris & Stephen H. Haber
"[The book] is a tour de force analyzing why banking, credit availability and banking crises vary so dramatically across countries." The authors "make a persuasive case that among economically developed democracies, the U.S. has been uniquely prone to banking crises due to populist political influence since the early 19th century on the banking system." Eric Grover, principal at Intrepid Ventures
"[The book] is a tour de force analyzing why banking, credit availability and banking crises vary so dramatically across countries." The authors "make a persuasive case that among economically developed democracies, the U.S. has been uniquely prone to banking crises due to populist political influence since the early 19th century on the banking system." Eric Grover, principal at Intrepid Ventures
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555" target="_blank">Thinking, Fast and Slow</a>"
Author: Daniel Kahneman
"[The book is] a fascinating window into how our psychology drives our decision-making. Simple examples that we can all relate to (like boredom reading the same book to our kids for the 500th time but fond memories after the fact) illustrate the seeming paradoxes that we face when it comes to tradeoffs and decisions based on the ways our judgments change. Clear, immediate implications for financial services." Lauren Pollak, Financial Services Practice Lead at Jump Associates
"[The book is] a fascinating window into how our psychology drives our decision-making. Simple examples that we can all relate to (like boredom reading the same book to our kids for the 500th time but fond memories after the fact) illustrate the seeming paradoxes that we face when it comes to tradeoffs and decisions based on the ways our judgments change. Clear, immediate implications for financial services." Lauren Pollak, Financial Services Practice Lead at Jump Associates
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Guaranteed-Fail-Freddie-Debacle-Mortgage/dp/0691150788" target="_blank">Guaranteed to Fail: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Debacle of Mortgage Finance</a>"
Authors: Viral V. Acharya, Matthew Richardson, Stijn Van Niewerburgh and Lawrence J. White
"This book alleges that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were run as the largest hedge fund on the planet. The four authors, all professors at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University, argue that Fannie and Freddie should get out of the business of promoting homeownership for low-income households." Kate Berry, reporter at American Banker
"This book alleges that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were run as the largest hedge fund on the planet. The four authors, all professors at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University, argue that Fannie and Freddie should get out of the business of promoting homeownership for low-income households." Kate Berry, reporter at American Banker
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stress-Test-Reflections-Financial-Crises/dp/0804121184" target="_blank">Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises</a>"
Author: Timothy F. Geithner
"'Stress Test' reveals the regulators' love-hate relationship with the megabanks that were indispensable to quelling the financial crisis." Richard J. Parsons, former executive vice president at Bank of America and author of'Broke: America's Banking System Common Sense Ideas to Fix Banking in America "
"'Stress Test' reveals the regulators' love-hate relationship with the megabanks that were indispensable to quelling the financial crisis." Richard J. Parsons, former executive vice president at Bank of America and author of
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Fighting-Chance-Elizabeth-Warren/dp/1627790527" target="_blank">A Fighting Chance</a>"
Author: Elizabeth Warren
"In a move that will surprise no one, Sen. Elizabeth Warren pulls no punches calling out bankers and Washington insiders in her just-released memoir." American Banker Washington bureau chief Rob Blackwell and reporter Victoria Finkle in anApril story
"In a move that will surprise no one, Sen. Elizabeth Warren pulls no punches calling out bankers and Washington insiders in her just-released memoir." American Banker Washington bureau chief Rob Blackwell and reporter Victoria Finkle in an
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Young-Money-Streets-Post-Crash-Recruits/dp/0446583251" target="_blank">Young Money: Inside the Hidden World of Wall Street's Post-Crash Recruits</a>"
Author: Kevin Roose
The book "is an engaging, entertaining and ultimately damning exercise in social anthropology, full of sober yet sympathetic assessments of both the people who become bankers these days and the banks that hire them." American Banker's former national editor, Maria Aspan, in aFebruary review
The book "is an engaging, entertaining and ultimately damning exercise in social anthropology, full of sober yet sympathetic assessments of both the people who become bankers these days and the banks that hire them." American Banker's former national editor, Maria Aspan, in a
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Banks-Innovators-Strategists-Rebooting/dp/1118900146" target="_blank">Breaking Banks: The Innovators, Rogues, and Strategists Rebooting Banking</a>"
Author: Brett King
"Brett's insight into the disruption that is hitting banking is one every banker should take note of. Brett explains how the standard operating model used by retail banks is no longer fit for purpose and how they must change to survive." Reader Jonathan Jensen
"Brett's insight into the disruption that is hitting banking is one every banker should take note of. Brett explains how the standard operating model used by retail banks is no longer fit for purpose and how they must change to survive." Reader Jonathan Jensen
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Growth-Building-Enduring-Publishing/dp/0231150504" target="_blank">Smart Growth: Building an Enduring Business by Managing the Risks of Growth</a>"
Author: Edward Hess
"Bankers and directors would be wise to read 'Smart Growth' and be reminded why growth and risk is inextricably linked." Richard J. Parsons, former executive vice president at Bank of America and author of "Broke: America's Banking System Common Sense Ideas to Fix Banking in America "
"Bankers and directors would be wise to read 'Smart Growth' and be reminded why growth and risk is inextricably linked." Richard J. Parsons, former executive vice president at Bank of America and author of "
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Most-Never-Want-Have-Again/dp/1481867954" target="_blank">The Most Fun I Never Want to Have Again: A Mid-Life Crisis in Community Banking</a>"
Author: R.D. Koncerak
"If you're a believer in community banks, this book is a must-read. It's an insider's look at bank start-ups in Georgia and the later failures and challenges after the financial crisis." Kate Berry, reporter at American Banker
"If you're a believer in community banks, this book is a must-read. It's an insider's look at bank start-ups in Georgia and the later failures and challenges after the financial crisis." Kate Berry, reporter at American Banker
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"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/And-Thought-Accountants-Were-Boring-ebook/dp/B00G7AFVS8" target="_blank">And You Thought Accountants Were Boring: My Life Inside Arthur Andersen</a>"
Author: Larry R. Katzen
"It's an interesting inside take on the accounting firm and the Enron scandal that brought the firm down." Gary Siegel, assistant online editor at American Banker
"It's an interesting inside take on the accounting firm and the Enron scandal that brought the firm down." Gary Siegel, assistant online editor at American Banker
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"<a href="http://www.privacyistheenemy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Privacy-Is-The-Enemy-13.pdf" target="_blank">Privacy Is the Enemy: A Grand Decentralization Theory</a>"
Author: Gary LaChance
"The title of this free, online white paper, written by a futurist and open-source software advocate, successfullytrolled me. The text terrified and intrigued me in equal measure. (Well, mostly terrified.) Like Dave Eggers in his dystopian novel 'The Circle ,' LaChance envisions a future where privacy is dead and the details of our lives, including financial transactions, are fully transparent to all. Unlike Eggers, LaChance argues that this will ultimately be a good thing. Who wants to go first?" Marc Hochstein, executive editor, American Banker
"The title of this free, online white paper, written by a futurist and open-source software advocate, successfully
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