Canadian Banker articles from September 1999

Canadian Banker archives from September 1999

When charity begins at the bank.
September 1, 1999... Banks are Canada's top corporate donors to charities, and they give in many innovative ways. But they want the best return on their philanthropic investments. IT'S mid-afternoon on a scruffy stretch of Queen St. in Toronto. In the...

Building assets out of liabilities.
September 1, 1999... A venerable pile belonging to CIBC at the corner of Bathurst and Queen Sts. in Toronto was among the first to be recycled. It was sold in 1994 to St. Christopher House, a charitable organization, for use as a drop- in centre for the homeless....

A banker's guideto the Internet.
September 1, 1999... Quick reviews of a few of the sites to see for those with an interest in financial services.Pity the poor banker who can't find how to get around in cyberspace. Canadian banks have spent millions to become global leaders in exploiting the...

The accidental banker.
September 1, 1999... He got into banking by chance - now he's a "lifer" and Call Centre Manager of the Year. A career in banking was the farthest thing from John Carver's mind in September 1962 when he stood at a street corner in Montreal West awaiting a bus...

Cool technology, warm hearts.
September 1, 1999... The so-called "Information Paradox," described in a book of the same title by John Thorp and DMR's Center for Strategic Leadership, is that while more and more businesses are spending more and more money on more and more new technologies that...

All about money.
September 1, 1999... You don't really understand money and how it works unless you know something about clearing balances, reserve requirements and capital adequacy of banks. WHAT is money? Who determines the amount of money there is in the economy? What role...

news bytes.
September 1, 1999... Fingerprint ID Compaq is replacing passwords and pincodes with fingerprint identification technology access for PCs. The Compaq Fingerprint Identification Technology, a peripheral device used to capture, digitize and authenticate a human...

'Paradigm quake!' Report says banks don't understand what's happening.
September 1, 1999... 'Yes, the tremors you feel are coming from the banking industry. Not since the 1930s has such a widespread sense of unease swept through retail banks around the globe." That's according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in an introduction to a...

Bank regulator revises its approach to supervision.
September 1, 1999... A new framework announced Aug. 23 by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (osfi) represents an important change in the way the regulatory body will supervise financial institutions and determine the soundness of their...

news briefs.
September 1, 1999... Banks to try sharing branches Banks in both Britain and Australia are reported to be experimenting with sharing their branches as a way of reducing the cost of unprofitable outlets in small towns or rural locations. The scheme would see...

Food for thought.
September 1, 1999... In which our intrepid columnist braves the restaurants of Paris and returns with an idea. Just back from a week in Paris, during which I did little but look at art and eat. I'd reached a birthday milestone (you know, one of the ones that...

Why Canadian incomes lag.
September 1, 1999... Politicians have been arguing about Canada's productivity performance, even though the statistics are clear: Canada has at least matched U.S. productivity growth in the 1990s after trailing a little in the '80s. This has not, however, resulted...

Coming soon to a bank near you.
September 1, 1999... Electronic banking devices are proliferating rapidly. Here are just a few of the latest gizmos and service innovations customers are using, or may soon use. * In Sherbrooke, Que., Mondex, Royal Bank and Mouvement des caisses Desjardins...

Change comes slowly to U.S. banking.
September 1, 1999... The U.S. banking system may seem antiquated to Canadians, but Americans are happier with their banks. That may not last as the industry modernizes. THE Little Falls branch of Potomac Valley Bank in Bethesda, Md., is a reminder of the way...

Spreading the news that banks are ready.
September 1, 1999... How the industry is notifying Canadians about Y2K preparedness. It's no secret that Canada's banks have worked hard to address the Y2K challenge. Thousands of bank employees have spent the last four years preparing systems and procedures...

How technology transforms banking.
September 1, 1999... From customer interactions to the back office, every aspect of financial services is being profoundly altered by technology. An overview of the forces at work. Electronic technology is shaping the financial-services industry in ways that...