Public banks offer little more than false hope to Californians
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s legislature are offering their citizens nothing more than false hope by passing a law allowing for the creation of public banks. [Continue]
Writer: Tom Bengtson
The long, winding DIF road
It has been a slog for the industry to get to this point, and while the credits are appreciated, the environment was still better in the 1990s when many banks paid no premiums at all. But given how much things have changed in the last 25 years, the post-crisis premium structure seems appropriate. [Continue]
Credit union discussion percolates at IBA convention
Leadership of the Iowa Legislature gathered for a panel discussion at the 133 rd annual convention of the Iowa Bankers Association. Meeting at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines on Sept. 24, credit union competition dominated the conversation among five elected officials, all Republicans. [Continue]
Bair: “Kids just don’t know” about student debt
Former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, a JFK Profiles in Courage Award winner and twice recognized by Forbes magazine as the “second most powerful woman in the world,” called on the U.S. Department of Education to do more to help college students understand the cost of borrowing. [Continue]
DCI conference speaker emphasizes service
Keynote speaker Jack Mackey opened the 2019 DCI annual bankers conference on Sept. 16 with stories from a British bank and a fast food restaurant that provided insights into great customer relationships. [Continue]
Good management starts at the top
In “Bull by the Horns,” former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair notes morale at the agency increased dramatically under her leadership during the financial crisis, with it even being recognized as a “best place to work.” [Continue]
FDIC chairs consider the cycles of regulation
Can regulators reduce the regulatory burden for bankers without hurting industry safety and soundness or weakening consumer protections? Two FDIC chairs — one former, one current — shared comments that addressed that question during recent forums in Minneapolis. [Continue]
Payment realities
Was anyone surprised when the Fed announced August 5 it would create a real-time payment and settlement service? The Fed has been the backstop clearing house for payments for more than a century; the evolution of those payments to digital is no reason for the Fed to back away from the crucial work of facilitating payments and settlement. [Continue]
Credit for cash flow
It’s a big deal when any small business lands a big customer. Business owners dream of landing a Fortune 500 customer that will assure sales and boost profits. But of course, that’s not the end of the challenge. No small business owner wants to become dependent upon one big customer, so the ultimate goal is to land several big customers. [Continue]
Entrepreneurship starts with you
An entrepreneur is someone who surveys the landscape, looks for things that could be improved, and acts toward that improvement. Entrepreneurship, at its essence, is problem-solving. Sometimes an entrepreneur will start a company to solve that problem, and if the company is successful, that entrepreneur becomes famous. [Continue]