consumer-finance

'Everyone's Doing It' Is a Weak Retail Banking Strategy

11/01/11

As bankers, we will face similar industry challenges, but we must deal with them in our own and (at least somewhat) unique manner.

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Debit Fee or No, Megabanks Must Ditch Unprofitable Customers

10/31/11

In the effort to bolster the dwindling profitability of retail megabanking, it's back to the drawing board.

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The Debit Fee Outrage Is Justified

10/28/11

This isn't about Bank of America covering its costs. It's about hanging on to the excessive fees the bank got used to charging retailers. Only now it's the consumer's turn to get gouged.

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Prune Branches, Compete on Account Terms

10/28/11

Face the fact that fewer customers are going to pay to support branch costs when they can do more of their transactions more conveniently in other ways. We're way past the tipping point.

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Banking on Inertia: Not a Customer Retention Strategy

10/27/11

If the only thing preventing a customer exodus is the sheer hassle of switching banks, there is a real danger that one day an enterprising company or competitor will come along and make defection easier.

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How N.Y. Fed's Dudley Can Be Occupy Wall Street's Hero

10/26/11

I'm hoping William Dudley would consider a meander down the street to Zuccotti Park, with the Fed's consent order against Goldman Sachs in hand. Let the crowd know that the Fed not only shares your pain, but has a few analgesics that might make you feel a bit better.

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The Underserved Are Not Who You Think They Are

10/25/11

Being financially underserved is less about demographics than about behavior, preferences and cash flow. The underserved tend to have less of a financial cushion, and as a result live "just in time."

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Get the Government Out of Questionable Mortgages

10/21/11

Offer inducements for homeownership and affordable housing more incisively and selectively through the tax system, where the cost is readily measurable and immediate.

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Occupy Wall Street's 'Other 99%' Are Deadbeats Too

10/21/11

As Occupy Wall Street gains national attention bashing bankers, it's giving a free ride to the 'Other 99%' who enjoy the perks of a nation living beyond its means.

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Fed Attempt to Sugarcoat Foreclosure's Effects Now Laughable

10/20/11

Was the Fed trying to convince itself foreclosure isn't that bad? Would they roll out the pie charts and PowerPoint presentations to convince the rest of the financial community, Congress and the like, that homeowners don't have to fear deterioration of lifestyle, maybe just a bit of downsizing?

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