BankThink

Financial Reform Has a Risky Blind Spot

09/25/14

Banks have very precise metrics for measuring profits and volatility from normal risk. Shouldn't there be an objective way to measure the extreme risk that can determine whether an institution fails or survives?

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The Scientific Approach to Mitigating Operational Risk

09/25/14

Devising a risk mitigation plan Â-- and the training and oversight necessary to implement it Â-- requires lenders and servicers to conduct a scientific investigation into the policies, procedures and controls they already have in place.

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Morning Scan: Home Depot Lawsuits Roll In; RBS IPO Rebounds

09/25/14

Receiving Wide Coverage... Here Come the Lawyers: What did you expect, Home Depot would get a free pass from lawyers on its massive data breach? The floodgates have opened as the first of what could be many lawsuits filed against Home Depot after 56 million credit and debit cards were compromised. In federal court in Atlanta, two credit unions Â-- Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union in New York and First Choice Federal Credit Union in PennsylvaniaÂ...

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Culture Clash: The Overlooked Threat to Mortgage M&A

09/24/14

Acquisition-hungry banks and mortgage companies need to apply the same level of scrutiny to cultural fit as they do to a firm's financial statements and balance sheets.

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How Auctioning Troubled Mortgages Can Boost the Housing Recovery

09/24/14

A program that moves distressed mortgages out of the foreclosure pipeline can save the FHA and GSEs money and give troubled borrowers a better shot at staying in their homes Â-- but only if it's properly implemented.

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Morning Scan: RBS Citizens IPO Sputters; Wal-Mart Checking Accounts

09/24/14

Receiving Wide Coverage ... You're No Alibaba: Royal Bank of Scotland cut the price on the IPO of its U.S. banking unit, Citizens Financial, amid tepid demand. The FT said investors are worried that RBS won't be able to deliver on its financial promises for Citizens. Even so, the Citizens IPO was much larger than other recent bank IPOs, including Talmer Bancorp, the Journal noted. Overall the market for bank IPOs has been lackluster this year,Â...

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How Community Bankers Can Start Playing Offense

09/23/14

Community bankers can get ahead of the competition by building strong and profitable relationships with their customers. They should start by keeping products simple and explanations forthright.

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Why Plastic Cards Will Survive Apple Pay

09/23/14

Apple Pay's impact will be mitigated by the limited availability of near-field communication terminals and by consumer concerns about the safety of NFC technology.

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Morning Scan: Terrorism Finance Verdict Puts Banks on Notice; Wells Fargo Fined

09/23/14

Receiving Wide Coverage ... Guilty: A word of warning to banks (as if they didn't already know this): Be careful who you do business with. A federal jury in New York found Jordan's Arab Bank liable for providing financial services to Hamas that helped them conduct terrorist activities, and plantiffs now plan to seek an unspecific amount in damages. For its part, Arab Bank has said it followed compliance procedures, according to the Financial Times. ButÂ...

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The Volcker Rule's Double-Edged Sword

09/22/14

A reform intended to reduce risk in the financial system could inadvertently exacerbate future economic downturns.

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