BankThink

Knowing Your Customer Must Mean Knowing the Real Owner

06/20/13

It is time to put an end to the misuse of companies to evade taxes and advance criminal purposes.

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Did Corker-Warner Jump the Gun on 'Skin in the Game' Target?

06/20/13

The Corker-Warner bill would require private investors to take 10% of losses before federal mortgage guarantees kick in. More research is needed to determine whether that’s enough protection for taxpayers.

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U.K. Banks Told to Raise More Capital; Mortgage Pact Blunders; Fed's Plans

06/20/13

Receiving Wide Coverage ... U.K.'S Capital Plans: British regulators have told their biggest banks to raise a combined $20.7 billion in capital by the end of the year to cover shortfalls. The announcement builds on earlier capital directives from the Prudential Regulation Authority, which has been attempting to bolster banks' balance sheets in an effort to stem off future financial shocks. Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, which would need to raise the…

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Regulatory Inconsistencies Are Killing Community Banks

06/19/13

Contradictory regulations, such as the CFPB’s QM standards and HUD’s new fair lending rules, inhibit banks’ ability to devote resources to their businesses.

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Lawsky's Consultant Crackdown; Fed Policy Side Effects; Co-op Bank Update

06/19/13

Receiving Wide Coverage ... Consultant Crackdown: Deloitte Financial Advisory Services has struck an agreement with New York's Department of Financial Services that will see the advisory firm pay $10 million and receive a one-year ban from soliciting new work in the state in order to settle allegations it mishandled its anti-money laundering review of U.K. bank Standard Chartered. The agreement, which also requires Deloitte "to implement reforms designed to address conflicts of interest," is part of…

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Basel Rules Echo Missteps of S&L Era

06/19/13

In the S&L crisis, regulators manipulated capital to prop up ailing thrifts. Today, regulators embrace risk-based requirements assuming they can correctly predict the future.

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Banking Runs on Talent, and the Industry's Running Low

06/18/13

Even great bankers cannot succeed when forced to compete in a market with an influx of new banks and a shortage of skilled bankers, wise directors, and experienced regulators.

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Moody's CEO Is Wrong - We Need Rating Agency Reform

06/18/13

The SEC's recent roundtable on ratings shopping in structured finance was a reminder of how efforts at reform are obstructed by a wall of denial.

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U.K. Charges Trader in Libor Scandal; Fed Watch; Lawsky Targets Banking Consultants

06/18/13

Breaking News This Morning ...

Charges Filed: The U.K.'s Serious Fraud Office has charged former UBS and Citibank trader Tom Hayes with eight counts of fraud in connection with the London interbank offered rate-rigging scandal. The charges represent the first time U.K. authorities have pursued criminal penalties against someone allegedly involved in the manipulation of Libor, says the Journal. Per the FT, the move sets up "a potential conflict" between the U.S. and the U.K. since...

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The Big Lessons of Small Business

06/17/13

Given America's romance with small business, it certainly can't hurt to be seen out there supporting mom and pop.

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