BankThink

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Ho hum: World financial markets mostly shrugged off the results of Italy's constitutional referendum, which went down to defeat on Sunday, although the country's banks and its economy remain in serious trouble as a result. Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times

Carson appointment assailed: As expected, President-elect Trump formally nominated retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson as HUD secretary, but critics were quite vocal. Carson "has a brilliant mind and is passionate about...

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Fintech Boost: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced a proposal Friday that would grant special limited-purpose banking licenses to financial technology firms that would give them "greater freedom to operate across the country without seeking state-by-state permission or joining with brick-and-mortar banks," as the Wall Street Journal described it. "The move could open the door to more competition between the old and new financial firms, and provide a bigger...

With the anti-globalism sentiment growing in parts of Europe and the U.S., a "my country first" approach to international bank regulation will hurt financial institutions and their local economies.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

It's official: Wells Fargo has formally separated the roles of CEO and chairman under pressure from some large investors, including several state treasurers, according to the Financial Times. John Stumpf, the bank's former chairman and CEO, resigned in October following the bank's phony accounts scandal and was replaced by Timothy Sloan as CEO and Stephen Sanger as chairman. But on Thursday Wells went further, amending its bylaws to mandate the split. "Wells'...

The smallness of in-store branches used to be a liability, but with the industry's changing landscape, strategically-placed "alternative branches" make more sense today.