BankThink

How to Keep Credit Flowing Under CFPB's Payday Plan

04/20/16

To tackle alternatives to payday lending, regulators and the industry should consider these three ideas for pilot programs instead of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau trying to fix what it cannot.

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Morning Scan: Goldman Sachs' Pain; N.Y. Voters Don't Trust Wall Street

04/20/16

Receiving Wide Coverage ... GoldmanÂ's Revenue Tumble: It was a tough first quarter for Goldman Sachs, as the companyÂ's net income dropped 56% to $1.2 billion on major declines in investment banking and its bond-trading unit. Perhaps the bankÂ's only solace may be knowing that itÂ's not alone. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo reported total revenues of $98 billion for the quarter. ThatÂ's 9% lower than last year,Â...

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How Would George Bailey Compete with Fintech?

04/19/16

Community banks are at a crossroads as they face a threat from alternative lenders and the need to stay true to the traditional bank model. What they should do?

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Morning Scan: Wells Fargo Named Primary Dealer; Asia's Malware Woes

04/19/16

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Wells Fargo Becomes Primary Dealer: The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has added Wells Fargo Securities as a primary dealer for the U.S. government bond market. As a primary dealer, Wells Fargo will trade directly with the New York Fed and underwrite U.S. government debt sales. It's a rare move: There are only 23 primary dealers and the last time the Fed added a primary dealer was in February 2014 when...

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Who's Bullish on Banks as Utilities? It's Not Who You Think

04/18/16

The idea of financial institutions resembling financial institutions has caught on with some industry observers for reasons other than reducing systemic risk.

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On CECL, Time for Everyone to Just Take a Deep Breath

04/18/16

All the noise over the impact of the Current Expected Loss Model is paralyzing bankers from taking reasonable and practical steps to prepare for the new accounting standard.

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Morning Scan: Banks Named in FIFA Probe; Fed Makes Typo

04/18/16

Receiving Wide Coverage ... Earnings Update: Morgan Stanley also had a difficult first quarter, but like its competitors the downturn was less substantial than expected. Net income for the quarter was $1.3 billion, down from $2.39 billion in last year's first three months. Again, like other banks, Morgan StanleyÂ's woes trace back to a dip in profits from its debt-trading business. Investment banking revenue also fell. Citigroup, which reported its earnings on Friday, looks much differentÂ...

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Goldman Settlement Shows Some Banks Still Too Big to Punish

04/15/16

The $5 billion settlement between Goldman Sachs and the Department of Justice sounds significant, but here's why it's not real accountability.

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Morning Scan: Dems Debate Bank Breakups; Bonus Rules Expected

04/15/16

Breaking News This Morning ...

Earnings: Citigroup, Regions Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Candidates on Banking: Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders' debate Thursday night in Brooklyn touched on how to best control the banking industry. While Clinton said she would remain faithful to the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law, which requires banks to develop credible bankruptcy plans for themselves or leave it to regulators to cap the size of the firm, Sanders said fraudulent practices on Wall...

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Overzealous Fincen Needs More Oversight

04/15/16

Congress should consider placing restrictions on the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network as the agency targets foreign banks it deems money laundering risks.

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