BankThink

How to Out-Nuisance a Bank Patent Troll

01/10/13

Patent trolls generally prefer to avoid any decision on the merits at all costs, as an adverse ruling may damage their ability to file future cases. With that in mind, smaller institutions should feel comfortable drawing a line in the sand for a fair settlement.

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CFPB Unveils Mortgage Rules; Morgan Stanley Plans Layoffs; Being Jack Lew

01/10/13

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Qualified Mortgage Rules: Several news outlets (American Banker included) are out with a breakdown of what is in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new mortgage standards, ahead of its press conference on the subject later today. Key points of the rules include prohibitions from offering mortgages with deceptive teaser rates or ones that require no documentation from borrowers, restrictions from charging borrowers excessive upfront points and fees and a somewhat unexpected safe...

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How to Keep Customers Returning to Your Branches

01/10/13

Too often, branch employees simply manage a transaction, when they should be focused on engaging or educating the customer to make a lasting impression.

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Dodd-Frank Remains a Troubled Work in Progress

01/09/13

Giving regulators more levers to pull and buttons to push with respect to the financial system only creates a false sense of security. The new regulatory powers come with few meaningful accountability checks.

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Raging Against Possible AIG Lawsuit; JPM Personnel Changes Continue

01/09/13

Receiving Wide Coverage ... Seriously, AIG?: We had a feeling the Internet was going to let out a collective groan once the news that AIG was considering a lawsuit against the federal government over its $182 billion bailout was picked up by news outlets and made the rounds on Twitter. (To summarize, the firm is being asked to join a suit originally launched by former CEO Maurice Greenberg, who claims the terms of the bailout were...

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Expect Mobile Payments to Have a Breakout Year

01/08/13

The common enemy of electronic payments is cash, and so any technology that makes it more convenient and more rewarding to use a credit or debit account is good for business.

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Durbin Exemption Proves a Real Edge for Small Banks

01/08/13

Issuers exempt from the interchange fee cap should continue to promote activation and use of their debit cards by way of issuer-sponsored and merchant-funded rewards.

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Mortgage Settlements Decoded, AIG Thanks Government for Bailout by Considering Lawsuit

01/08/13

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

B of A Settlement: "An albatross that the bank has fought hard to loosen," that's what a Washington Post article on B of A's $11.6 billion settlement with mortgage giant Fannie Mae calls the bank's acquisition of Countrywide, which has now collectively cost B of A more than $40 billion in losses. It remains unlikely that the bank's most recent related payoff will help them shake that bird entirely. According to this...

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Did Regulators Make the Right Call on Basel III?

01/07/13

Some feel the looser standards will have a positive effect on the economy, while others argue the easing simply represents the latest example of regulators giving banks their way.

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The Banker Who Blindly Led a Blind Developer (and Vice Versa)

01/07/13

This bad loan was a unique case of vanity and all-pervasive incompetence on the part of both the banker and a movie producer turned real estate developer.

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