BankThink

Women in Banking: GOP Women on Banking Panel; Boardroom Gains

08/06/15

Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri is urging House Banking Chair Jeb Hensarling to recruit more female Republicans to the influential panel. Also women are wielding more economic power in the Middle East and Heidrick & Struggles predicts that women will hold half of board seats at major companies within a decade.

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The Do's and Don'ts of Marketing Bank Technology

08/06/15

Customers expect mobile banking services Â-- but they're not necessarily impressed by them. Bank marketers should instead emphasize their institutions' problem-solving capabilities and skilled professionals.

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Regulators Need to Hold Community Groups Accountable, Too

08/06/15

The Federal Reserve should require community groups to disclose the contributions they receive from banks in order to ensure that controversial mergers receive fair public hearings.

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Morning Scan: NYC Battles Banks in Court; Storm Over CEO Pay

08/06/15

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

The Pay Gap Debate: The Securities and Exchange Commission approved a rule Wednesday that will require publicly traded companies to disclose the pay ratio between chief executives and average workers. While the Dodd-Frank requirement was primarily aimed at helping shareholders compare the pay gap between companies, most of the papers predict the disclosures will matter more to employees and the public than to investors. ...

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Just Do It, Janet: Time for a Fed Rate Hike

08/05/15

The central bank appears to believe the U.S. economy remains so fragile that it cannot withstand the mildest of rate increases. There's no better testament to the inefficiency of the Fed's monetary policies.

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Customer Service Lessons from the DMV (Yes, Really)

08/05/15

Frontline employees shape their own work environments as well as the experiences of their customers Â-- as demonstrated by a trip to the much-dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles.

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Morning Scan: Amex Fee Deal Blows Up; Jeb Bush on Wall Street

08/05/15

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

AmEx Deal Upset: Sometimes even "burn after reading" instructions aren't enough to cover up improper behavior. A federal judge threw out the proposed $79 million antitrust settlement between American Express and merchants Tuesday, finding that negotiations were "fatally tainted" when lawyers from opposing sides shared confidential documents. That's a big win for merchants hoping to reach an alternative deal that will give them more leeway in passing the cost of interchange fees...

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Why a 36% Cap Is Too Low for Small-Dollar Loans

08/04/15

It's been nearly a century since reformers and lenders agreed on 36% as a small-dollar loan ceiling. Inflation has since swelled production costs, and lending under this cap is no longer profitable. The result: fewer options for consumers.

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Morning Scan: To Catch a Money Launderer; Promontory vs. New York Regulators

08/04/15

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Bad Day for Promontory: Get ready for a battle of the titans: New York's banking regulator versus financial consulting heavyweight Promontory Financial Group. New York's Department of Financial Services on Monday suspended Promontory from consulting with banks licensed in the state, accusing the firm of covering up the extent of Standard Chartered's sanctions violations in a 2011 report. ...

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Regulation Could Be a Blessing in Disguise for Online Lenders

08/04/15

Many online small-business lenders worry that future regulations could stymie innovation in this fast-growing industry. But well-designed requirements would simply ensure that online lenders can offer adequate borrower protections without giving up market share.

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