Best of BankThink 2014: Readers' Choice
December 26, 2014 7:30 AM
The 10 most popular BankThink posts of 2014, based on audience page views.
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10. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/how-a-bitcoin-rival-could-create-a-global-supermoney-1068361-1.html" target="_blank">How a Bitcoin Rival Could Create a Global Supermoney</a>
Futurist Richard Samson looks at the possibilities of the Ripple protocol a payment and currency exchange system that makes dollars, yen, euros, Bitcoins, gold and even frequent flyer miles virtually interchangeable.
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9. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/women-and-power-seven-ways-successful-women-survive-1071034-1.html" target="_blank">Women and Power: Seven Ways Successful Women Survive</a>
Research suggests that women in leadership positions are most successful when they develop flexible management styles and pay attention to some uncomfortable truths in today's workplace, writes Davia Temin, chief executive of New York management consultancy Temin and Co.
8. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/jpmorgan-condoms-and-the-problem-of-reputational-risk-1066523-1.html" target="_blank">JPMorgan, Condoms and the Problem of Reputational Risk</a>
JPMorgan Chase's refusal to process payments for a startup condom company highlighted why government crackdowns that treat banks as moral police should worry everybody, according to American Banker's Jeanine Skowronski and Marc Hochstein.
Image: Bloomberg News
7. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/postal-banking-maybe-not-so-crazy-after-all-1065325-1.html" target="_blank">Postal Banking: Maybe Not So Crazy After All</a>
Postal banking could prove to be a boon for Americans without access to traditional financial services, according to Adam Levitin, a professor of law at Georgetown University. He imagines postal banks as a feeder service that would bring unbanked consumers into the mainstream financial system and then graduate them to private institutions.
Image: Bloomberg News
6. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/customer-service-wont-save-community-banks-1067880-1.html" target="_blank">Customer Service Won't Save Community Banks</a>
Community banks consider customer service their big advantage against larger competitors. But that is unlikely to pay off in the long run, according to Kevin Tynan, senior vice president for marketing at Liberty Bank for Savings in Chicago. "Customers want convenience, instant gratification and products designed for their lifestyle," he writes. "That's what community banks need to deliver."
5. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/how-to-make-non-qualified-mortgages-bulletproof-1064822-1.html" target="_blank">How to Make Non-'Qualified' Mortgages Bulletproof</a>
"Risk Doctor" Clifford Rossi, a professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, identifies a range of opportunities for lenders to make profitable, safe non-qualified mortgages. For example, he argues, high debt-to-income ratios can be offset by strong credit histories, substantial down payments, stable jobs and documented incomes.
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4. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/operation-choke-point-way-out-of-control-1067013-1.html" target="_blank">Operation Choke Point: Way Out of Control</a>
Former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman William Isaac takes aim at Operation Choke Point. "The place to debate whether payday lending or any other business should be allowed to operate and have access to the banking system is in the halls of Congress and state legislatures, not in the backrooms of government bureaucracies," he writes.
3. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/what-i-learned-while-pretending-to-be-unbanked-1067910-1.html" target="_blank">What I Learned While Pretending to Be Unbanked</a>
American Banker reporter Kevin Wack spent a day trying to cash checks, send money and complete other financial transactions without the use of a bank account. He was surprised by what he saw.
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2. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/us-housing-sector-is-in-big-trouble-1066102-1.html" target="_blank">U.S. Housing Sector Is in Big Trouble</a>
Christopher Whalen, senior managing director and head of research at Kroll Bond Rating Agency, blames the housing sector's subpar performance on ill-considered relations and bank capital rules.
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1. <a href="http://www.americanbanker.com/bankthink/the-silver-lining-of-targets-data-breach-1065900-1.html" target="_blank">The Silver Lining of Target's Data Breach</a>
Ryan Elmer, national director of eBankSafe, argues that the publicity surrounding Target's massive hack offered a golden opportunity to educate commercial account holders about the risks associated with online banking, particularly phishing attacks.
Image: Bloomberg News
