US Banker articles from November 2008

US Banker archives from November 2008

No Time for Recrimination. The Future Starts Now. We can either let this cycle define us, or we can define the future that's on the other side of this cycle. How we act will determine our ultimate success as leaders.(Commentary)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Holly Sraeel, Editor-in-Chief Finger-pointing only gets you so far. So does a federal bailout. The financial stabilization act will address some of the issues facing the world's financial players, but it neglects to address the most...

AD Beat: Scratch And Win Customers; Fifth Third Bank has been active in opening de novos and acquisitions. To build brand awareness, it's giving away money.(Marketing)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Anthony Malakian Bankers constantly fret about how to get customers into the branches since face time with a teller or sales rep is the best way to sell products and services and deepen the customer relationship. Senior...

Got Deposits?(banking crisis)(Cover story)
November 1, 2008... Byline: John Engen Credit quality and capital are headline concerns for institutions globally, but the financial crisis also has raised the profile of deposits. A new class of megabanks, led by JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, has been...

Reverse Reengineering of Risk.(Risk Management)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Clark Abrahams The writedowns and bailouts are legendary, but some industry experts argue the credit crisis didn't have to happen. Simply put, an overdependence on technology and absence of judgment fanned the flames that have...

At Your Service: Retained Loans Catch On; More customers are seeking out community banks that will retain their mortgages. For banks willing to service these loans, there's an ideal opportunity to deepen relationships and cross-sell products.(Main Street: Community Banking & Finance)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Anthony Malakian The issuance, re-selling and servicing of mortgages has become such a tangled mess that some consumers are beginning to seek out banks that will retain the servicing of the mortgages they originate and maintain...

Rules for Low-Limit Credit Cards. More Harm than Good? The federal push to protect cardholders from unscrupulous credit card issuers could force some issuers to abandon high-risk customers who will otherwise turn to payday lenders and the like.(Consumer Finance (Credit Cards))
November 1, 2008... Byline: Anthony Malakian Beware the law of unintended consequences. To wit, Congress's push to amend the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights, which issuers of low-limit credit cards warn could result in less access to credit. Players in...

Main Street Wants Bigger Small Business Bite; Big banks still have the lion's share of the small-business market, but community banks are quickly gaining ground. There are good reasons to believe that trend will continue.(Small Business (Community Banks))
November 1, 2008... Byline: Anthony Malakian Community banks are steadily loosening the stranglehold that the nation's big banks have on the small business market, according to a report from Boston-based consultant Aite Group. It's still too early to tell for...

Barclays Plc's Newfound Sway In the New World; Turns out Barclays dodged a bullet by losing in its bid for ABN Amro last year. Now, thanks to its acquisition of Lehman, it's emerged a power player in America, heavy on M&A and trading.(Corporate & Institutional (Investment Banking))(Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Michael Dumiak It was the end of summer, 2007, and Barclays Chief Executive Officer John Varley was being driven on a sunny afternoon between Hampshire and London. The months-long battle between his giant London institution and the...

BofA Makes Dash in the World Of Premium Cards; Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch is likely to shake up the high-net-worth credit card market. But so far all the major issuers are playing their cards close to the vest.(Wealth Management (Premium Credit Cards))(Merrill Lynch and Company Inc.)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Anthony Malakian The high-net-worth card industry may face a tough year ahead as many people's investments shrivel and they drop from the ranks of the high-net-worth; still, Bank of America's acquisition of top-tier brokerage...

Building Your Bank Brand.(OpEd)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Cristi Kirisits, Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communications Manager, Silverton Bank In today's competitive marketplace, branding can be the final factor that affects a consumer's decision of where to bank. Whether you are...

Contained Depression; Last month the G7 started picking up the pieces of the global financial system and trying to put them back together again. Even so, the credit hangover will be fierce.(The Economy)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joseph Rosta Maybe it was the utter collapse of Iceland's financial system. Maybe it was the worst week in the history of the Dow Industrial Average since those five trading days in the antique October of 1929, or the worst ever...

FINANCIAL CRISIS: Schadenfreude at the U.S. Dilemma? Hardly. CEO of Qatar's Doha Bank is a major booster.(Front and Center)(R. Seetharaman)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Michael Sisk Often, in tough times, there's suspicion that others secretly enjoy your strife. Sometimes this schadenfreude is real, but often it is not. R. Seetharaman, the CEO of Qatar-based Doha Bank, on a press tour in New York...

Scene and Heard.(Front and Center)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... "A race to get bigger might seem to make sense, but nobody trusts each other's balance sheets." John Douglas, former FDIC general counsel, on why regional banks may not rush to merge to become "too-big-to-fail." "Banks may be willing...

REGULATIONS: Proposals Take Aim at Securitization; Bonds backed by credit cards could be victim of mortgage crisis.(Front and Center)(Financial Accounting Standards Board)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Joseph Rosta Securitization isn't dead yet, but if the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Federal Reserve get their way the wake isn't too far off, says Dennis Moroney, research director for bankcards at TowerGroup. ...

Too Big to Fail?(Word Is...)(financial crisis)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Michael Sisk The current financial crisis has popped a few popular myths about the financial system. There was a fairy tale, for instance, that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were not backed by the U.S. government, and another that...

Noted and Noteworthy.(Word Is...)
November 1, 2008... Herb and Marion Sandler, the founders of Golden West Financial who sold out to Wachovia at the top of the market, were shocked to see themselves lampooned on a Saturday Night Live sketch with the caption "people who should be shot" during a...

In Pursuit of Sustainable Capitalism; The near total meltdown of the credit default swaps market-an unregulated, opaque, $55 trillion market-makes clear that capitalism without transparency is not sustainable.(The Inside Track: Policy, Players and Politics)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Michael Sisk Deregulation of the financial markets has been underway for years. The Bush Administration has pushed this agenda hard, but it's worth keeping in mind that it was President Bill Clinton who signed the Commodities...

CORPORATE BANKING: Banks Go Commercial With Web 2.0 Offerings; Flashier, customizable cash management portals-think iGoogle-and small business networking sites herald the next era in business banking online.(Fast Forward)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Glen Fest Banking customers working with jazzy personal finance tools don't have Web 2.0 all to themselves. Commercial banking customers are in search of, and in some cases already enjoying, some of the "wow" as well. ...

Building Goodwill In The Big Easy; First Bank and Trust, in partnership with the New Orleans Saints and the team's head coach Sean Payton, is helping to rebuild in New Orleans.(Marketing)
November 1, 2008... Byline: Anthony Malakian Rooting for the hometown team is a refuge from everyday woes and a source of civic pride. In 2005, New Orleans-based First Bank and Trust, knowing the city faced an intense period of rebuilding after Hurricane...