BankThink

Morning Scan: Banks Near Swaps Deal; When Marketplace Loans Sour

09/14/15

Swaps Settlement Ahead: Twelve big banks plan to pay $1.9 billion to settle charges that they conspired to control the credit default swaps market during the run-up to the financial crisis, according to the papers. The New York Times maintains an air of mystery about the details of the pending settlement, opting not to name the banks involved. But the Los Angeles Times names names including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup and the FinancialÂ...

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Is Big Data a Magnet for Disparate Impact Disputes? Weekly Wrap

09/11/15

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including banks' subpar shareholder value and how big-data advocates can better communicate with critics who worry about the technology's potential discriminatory effects.

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FDIC Policy Change Would Reduce Credit Access for the Poor

09/11/15

The FDIC has proposed a plan that would increase premiums for banks that use reciprocal depositsÂ--a tool that community development financial institutions rely upon to meet credit demand in low-income communities.

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Morning Scan: GE Capital's Sale Price for Truck Finance Business; To Bitcoin, or Not to Bitcoin?

09/11/15

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Keep On Truckin': General Electric will earn a pretty penny from the sale of its U.S. transportation finance business. Bank of Montreal's purchase price for the Irving, Texas-based GE unit will be based on the net earning assets balance at the deal's closing, plus a premium, according to Canada's Financial Post. All told, the price will be about $13 billion. Those terms were disclosed during a Thursday afternoon conference call with analysts....

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How to Talk About Big Data and Lending Discrimination

09/10/15

Supporters of big data tend to be at loggerheads with people who are concerned about fair lending issues. In order to have a productive conversation, both sides need to distinguish between the goals of the lender and the goals of the general public.

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Women in Banking: Wall Street's 'Math Queen' and 'Oldest Woman'

09/10/15

Get a dose of hope from the W-20 and Afghan girls who code. And get a dose of inspiration too, as persistence pays off for Mary Callahan Erdoes, the 'Math Queen of Wall Street,' and likewise for Irene Bergman, the 'Oldest Woman on Wall Street.'

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The Quiet Crisis in Banks' Shareholder Value

09/10/15

Bank earnings may be on the up and up, but aging business models are still putting a drag on most financial institutions' performance.

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Morning Scan: Bitcoin Startup Attracts Bank Investors; Sam's Club to Accept Amex

09/10/15

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Links in the Chain: Citigroup's Citi Ventures, Capital One Financial, Visa and Fiserv are among the financial-services companies that have invested in the Bitcoin startup Chain Inc. Former American Express CEO Jim Robinson is also an investor. The Wall Street Journal said the financial-services industry doesn't want to use Bitcoin as currency. Rather, they view the blockchain technology as a possible way to replace the inefficient methods they now use to verify...

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How to Wean the Housing Market Off Taxpayer Support

09/09/15

The key to housing finance reform is a new securitization model that allows the private sector to price and absorb the majority of housing credit risk.

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Take It from a Millennial: Mortgage Lenders Need Us

09/09/15

Mortgage companies need the wisdom of millennial employees if they want to stand a chance with the growing consumer majority. HereÂ's how they can lure todayÂ's young people on board.

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