BankThink

Bank CEO Pay: From Bad to Worse?

05/03/13

Finding the right pay formula is a messy business. Leave it to shareholders and the market to sort out.

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Banks Need Branches to Hold Off Competitors

05/03/13

Instead of downsizing, banks should reposition big branch networks to protect their ground from nonbanks and tech companies trying to infiltrate the financial services space.

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JPM Free-for-All; Stevie Cohen's Chutzpah; Systemic Risk Redux

05/03/13

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Jamie in the Hot Seat: When the nation's two most influential dailies simultaneously run stories in which federal authorities leak word that they're gunning for a megabank, it ain't no tempest in a teapot. That's the reality JPMorgan Chase's (JPM) Jamie Dimon woke up to this morning as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal published features quoting flies on the wall who describe meetings where government officials told the bank's...

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Pritzker Role in Bank Failure Casts Doubts about Cabinet Suitability

05/02/13

President Obama has nominated Penny Pritzker to head the Commerce Department, overlooking her role in the costly failure of Superior Bank.

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Treat Financial Literacy as a Value Add, Not a Public Service

05/02/13

If they get on their high horse, bankers risk coming off as disingenuous. Concentrate instead on developing products that will help consumers meet a specific financial goal.

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Gender Bias at American Banker Magazine?

05/02/13

American Banker Magazine Editor in Chief Heather Landy responds to the charges and examines the possible evidence of her own unconscious bias.

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Banks Forced to Use Shortsighted Accounting

05/02/13

Accounting rules require banks to drain reserves when loan losses are low and build them up when problems abound, amplifying booms and busts. Allowing a long-run view of losses in setting reserves would improve financial stability.

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QE3 Kremlinology; Mel Watt Has an Open Mind About Principal Reduction

05/02/13

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

QE3 Surprise: In a departure from recent statements, Federal Open Market Committee indicated a willingness to step up bond purchases. Previously the Fed had hinted only that it might reduce monthly purchases. Now the official line is they could go up or down, depending on inflation and job growth. The upshot of all this Kremlinology: The shift to a neutral stance means the economy is still pretty weak. Wall Street Journal, Financial...

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Banking Old School and New School

05/01/13

We must help carry forward the traditions of relationship banking while stressing the importance of technology adaptation and modern leadership.

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Go on a Sales Call for a Healthy Dose of Reality

05/01/13

When we create cultures in which higher-ranking managers become insulated from ever facing a "yes" or "no" from a customer, our leaders lose a little perspective.

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