BankThink

Thanks to enhanced regulatory expectations, directors and managers have more new responsibilities than they might realize.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Sideswiped: A federal judge has overturned the Federal Reserve's rule on debit card swipe fee caps, effectively stating that the central bank had set the caps too low. In the decision, the judge said the Fed's rule, which caps fees charged to merchants whenever a customer uses a debit card at 21-cents a transaction, "runs completely afoul of the text, design and purpose" of the Durbin amendment, the Dodd-Frank provision that called...

Lower borrowing costs for the biggest institutions based on perceived government support encourage these institutions to grow larger and more systemically important. This dynamic also puts community banks at a competitive disadvantage.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

JPM, FERC Update: Very shortly after yesterday's Scan, JPMorgan Chase, as predicted, formally settled with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission over energy market manipulation allegations. Kudos to the Journal for nailing the amount of the fine associated with the widely anticipated settlement in an earlier report on the matter: $410 million. Dealbreaker, however, gets the credit for best explanation of the settlement agreement. A choice quote from the blog post by Matt...

Making a significant difference to the cost base of payments could make a significant difference to the bank overall.