BankThink

Put Some Power into 'Financial Empowerment'

02/24/15

Could getting people to save more money be as easy as changing around the office furniture? Based on Emily Garbinsky's research, the answer is yes.

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Editor's Note: Put Some Power into 'Financial Empowerment'

02/23/15

Could getting people to save more money be as easy as changing around the office furniture? Based on Emily Garbinsky's research, the answer is yes.

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Scrap Regulations that Thin the Ranks of Small Banks

02/23/15

There's nothing wrong with big banks gaining market share because they offer the products and services that customers want. But there's a problem when big banks can beat off their smaller rivals with a club fashioned by legislators and regulators.

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Without Stronger Governance, Bitcoin's Not Worth the Bet

02/23/15

Bitcoin's premise is that an open-source computer protocol could support a new global currency, without reliance on the centralized power of banks and governments. But trusting a computer protocol, without human governance, doesn't make sense. As it stands, bitcoin's governance has a long ways to go before institutions would rely on this innovative but flawed currency as a store of value.

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Morning Scan: Caution Signs Ahead for Rollback of Bank Regs; U.K. Bank Woes

02/23/15

Wall Street Journal

Dark clouds are hovering over the effort to amend Dodd-Frank and other bank regulations, in some measure because the new GOP leadership on Capitol Hill is trying to make changes beyond what banks have asked for. At a recent meeting at a Washington hotel, according to anonymous sources, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., reiterated his stance that he wants to axe the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's independent funding stream; and Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas,...

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Can Banks Modernize Payments Without Fed's Nudge? Weekly Wrap

02/20/15

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including the Fed's proper role in speeding up the payment system; the perennial TBTF debate; and the privacy implications of anti-laundering regulations.

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House Bill Would Force Big Banks to Compete in Free Market

02/20/15

The Subsidy Reserve Act of 2015 could solve "too big to fail" and level the playing field for smaller banks by requiring the largest financial institutions to accumulate capital equal to the amount of the market subsidy they receive.

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Morning Scan: Fears Raised on Hack of Phone-Card Maker; JPMorgan's Cyber Army

02/20/15

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Hacked Off: So much for mobile banking. The Dutch company Gemalto, the world's largest maker of SIM cards for mobile phones, was hacked by a joint team from the National Security Agency and the U.K.'s counterpart intelligence agency. (The report comes from documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to the website The Intercept.) Gemalto sells its SIM cards to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and other telecom companies. Gemalto's financial institution clients...

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Operation Choke Point Won't Go Away Quietly

02/19/15

The FDIC is taking important steps to undo the damage caused by Operation Choke Point Â-- but fraud prevention company Early Warning apparently didnÂ't get the memo.

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If Coca-Cola Can Be Disrupted, So Can Your Bank

02/19/15

Banks' business models are even more vulnerable to a massive shakeup than industry behemoths like McDonaldÂ's and Coca-Cola. The industry will be redefined by technological change and shifting consumer preferences, as well as by regulations that limit the sector's adaptability.

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