consumer-finance

Rigid Credit Score Standards Hold Back Housing Recovery

07/07/14

Regulatory requirements that bar homeowners with imperfect credit scores from receiving a mortgage are hurting minorities and the economy as a whole.

[more]

Weekly Wrap: Bitcoin Rival Could Shake Up Commerce; Rethinking Credit Scores

07/03/14

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

[more]

In Wake of Dimon's Cancer News, Opponents Set Grudges Aside

07/03/14

JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon has no shortage of detractors. But the public response to his cancer diagnosis has been surprisinglyÂ--and reassuringlyÂ--civil.

[more]

Four Changes the SBA Can Make to Help Minority Business Owners

07/01/14

In order to ensure that small businesses owned by people of color can grow and prosper, new SBA head Maria Contreras-Sweet should prioritize helping those businesses access capital and get a fair shot at corporate contracts.

[more]

Proceed with Caution on Covenant-Lite Loans

06/30/14

Recovery rates for covenant-lite loans, which impose few financial restrictions on debtors, were pretty decent during the last downturn. But history may not repeat itself.

[more]

Dave Brat Fudges the 'Blame Fannie and Freddie' Narrative

06/25/14

The GSEs make mortgages? Banks don't? For an economics professor who has made the causes of the housing collapse a central campaign issue, David Brat sure doesn't sweat the details.

[more]

Hold the Bubbly: Banks Could Still Be Liable for Wire Fraud Losses

06/25/14

A recent court ruling affirms that customers can be held responsible in cases of wire transfer fraud. But banks arenÂ't off the hook.

[more]

Lessons Learned from AIG's Collapse

06/24/14

ItÂ's true that AIGÂ's heavily regulated securities lending program played a role in the downfall of the insurer. But it is a dangerous fallacy to argue that this proves that regulation should be left entirely to the markets.

[more]

Four Myths About Bank Productivity

06/23/14

Banks can boost productivity with a number of counter-intuitive practices. For starters, they can let customers wait in line for a little while.

[more]

Disruptors Deconstructed

06/23/14

The recent proposal for the U.S. Postal Service to sell banking services invites comparisons to Walmart's equally controversial, and ultimately abandoned, 2005 bid for a banking charter. Both would-be financial industry game-changers are large and ubiquitous, but there are some notable differences.

[more]