BankThink

Morning Scan: Reform Banks, But Not Kashkari's Way; Stocks No Bonus

02/18/16

Wall Street Journal It's one thing for Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren to call for a break-up of the megabanks. It's another thing, apparently, when a newly tapped regional Fed president calls for it. Neel Kashkari's comments to the Brookings Institution this week (read the Journal's extended excerpts from his presentation here) has set off a round of hand-wringing about whether it really is time to blow up the likes of JPMorgan Chase and Bank ofÂ...

[more]

Alternative Data Is Vital to Expanding the Credit Pie

02/17/16

There are millions of businesses deserving of loans that banks using traditional data resources might overlook due to their thin credit histories.

[more]

The American Bank Market's Size Challenges Faster Payments

02/17/16

Compared to other countries with fewer banks, the faster payments initiative in the U.S. will require a far greater level of collaboration and participation.

[more]

Morning Scan: Investors Worry About Bank 'Bail-In' Plans; Higher Capital Requirements?

02/17/16

Receiving Wide Coverage ... Farm Aid? The difficulties pot businesses face in obtaining a bank account have been well-documented. Now, at least two startups are trying to help banks confront their regulatory fears and open accounts for marijuana growers and dispensaries, according to articles in the magazine Inc. and the New York Times. Â...

[more]

How Congress Gutted the Fed's Capital Coffers

02/16/16

Lawmakers' move to cap the Federal Reserve's capital surplus to help pay for highway improvements made the central bank one of the least capitalized financial institutions in the country.

[more]

Dodd-Frank's Risk 'Council' Is Just an Unfocused Bureaucracy

02/16/16

Lawmakers opted for broadening the focus and makeup of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, but a more focused systemic risk regulator would have had a better chance of success.

[more]

Morning Scan: Boomers' Booming Debt; IBM Jumps on Blockchain Bandwagon

02/16/16

Wall Street Journal

Baby boomers are changing the idea that the older you get, the less debt you carry. The average 65-year-old borrower has 47% more mortgage debt now than in 2003. They also have 29% more auto debt. Both figures, adjusted for inflation, were compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. ...

[more]

Millennial Advice on How to Run a Bank

02/12/16

Community bank executives need to focus on these three areas in order to embrace change and cater to younger, tech-savvy customers.

[more]

Morning Scan: AIG Makes Peace with Activists; HSBC Ends Salary Freeze

02/12/16

Editor's note: Morning Scan will not publish on Monday, Feb. 15 in observance of the Presidents' Day holiday. We'll be back on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Receiving Wide Coverage ...

AIG Makes Deal with Activists: It looks like American International Group will live to see another day – and without activist investor pressure. The insurer formed a pact with activist investors Carl Icahn and John Paulson: In exchange for two seats on the board, Icahn and Paulson will...

[more]

Women in Banking: UBS Tackles Pay Gap; Sexism in Islamic Finance and at ANZ

02/11/16

To curb the loss of female talent, one Wall Street firm plans to remedy the pay gap. Islamic finance is notoriously male-dominated, but one country is an exception. Australia's ANZ Bank is inspiring a lot of soul-searching on sexism in the financial services industry. Would things improve with SEC reporting on diversity? Or do we need quotas?

[more]