Before the rule was issued, banks and money transfer companies acknowledged that better disclosures and other steps were necessary in light of higher costs for international money transfers.
Personal loans are "tricky to underwrite" because consumer credit scores are high at the time of origination and then drift downward, says Roger Hochschild, who recently took over as the head of Discover Financial Services.
Big banks have plans to open hundreds of branches in new markets to add deposits, but smaller regionals have largely sought to hold the line on costs. Cullen/Frost Bankers' decision to double its branch count in Houston may be a sign that midsize banks are rethinking their retail strategy.
Better web access, paid for by banks, could go a long way toward moving the unbanked into the mainstream. It was one of many ideas batted around at a recent a conference on the role fintech can play in promoting financial inclusion.
