US Banker articles

Recent articles from US Banker

It's Time to Move Past The Finger-Pointing; Community bankers have long played the us-against-them card, with mixed results, but their efforts have paid off lately.(Commentary)
July 1, 2009... Byline: Alan Kline, Editor-in-Chief The FDIC's plan to assess deposit premiums based on a bank's assets, rather than its deposits, is a testament to the community-banking lobby's growing influence in Washington. In Congressional testimony, meetings with regulators, and press...

Raking in the Fee Income; Despite recession, banks' income from insurance activity increased in 2008. Citi continues to dominate, but Wells and BofA - thanks to big acquisitions - are catching up.
July 1, 2009... Byline: Alan Kline Among bank holding companies, Citigroup Inc. remains the industry leader in generating insurance revenue, but rivals Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. are closing the gap. According to data compiled by Michael White Associates of Radnor, Pa., and the...

Getting in the Game; Adding Web-based interactive puzzles and entertainment to the marketing mix adds to brand awareness. The real contest for banks is turning gamers into customers.(Marketing)
July 1, 2009... Byline: Anthony Malakian To help promote its new contactless payment card, Barclays plc produced a video game aimed at young consumers-the demographic the bank sees as most likely to use the card. The player has 20 seconds to aid a swimmer through a maze of waterslide tubes. Rotating...

AD BEAT: New Ally, Big Splash; The former GMAC Bank bets on a name change and an image overhaul to reverse its fortunes.(Marketing)
July 1, 2009... Byline: Anthony Malakian Despite its ties to the beleaguered General Motors and its own capital concerns, GMAC Bank had little trouble attracting deposits after it established a bank holding company in December. Deposits surged 16 percent in the first quarter, to $22.5 billion. With...

Match Game; Banks need money, and private equity's got lots of it - $1 trillion by some estimates. It seems like a natural marriage and there have been some high-profile pairings, yet many of the industry's heaviest hitters are still just looking, held up by concerns about pricing, control and the uncertain economy.(Cover Story)
July 1, 2009... Byline: John Engen The story behind the year's biggest bank failure was, in many ways, typical of the financial crisis. BankUnited Financial, Florida's largest homegrown banking company, was knee-deep in bad housing loans. It had tried several times to raise capital, and couldn't. With...