BankThink

"Too big to fail" banking giants like to masquerade as community banks when it suits their purposes, but they will never be able to replace real, local bankers with deep ties to their customers.

In a string of speeches last week, the top federal banking regulators outlined goals and framed their thinking about artificial intelligence in financial services, but the biggest questions around liability and widespread adoption remain unanswered.

The National Credit Union Administration lacks the authority to regulate third-party vendors that supply vital services to the industry. This creates a major risk to credit union customers and the broader U.S. economy.

Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and more severe, and victims will always require support from their banks. A plan for delivering that support needs to be in place before disaster strikes.

A punitive tax on payments sent overseas to the families of immigrants would have a cascading set of consequences — all of them bad.

Existing efforts to reform the Federal Home Loan Bank System may look dead on arrival in a Trump administration, but the proposed Department of Government Efficiency may not be able to resist such low-hanging fruit.

Banks solved the issue of consumer data sharing years ago. Why is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stepping in now, with a rule that could make sharing data less safe and secure?

The U.S. is alone among G7 nations in not allowing nonbanks direct access to vital central bank payments rails. It's past time for regulations to catch up with clear consumer preferences.

Huge portfolios of outstanding private credit, issued by lenders completely free of banklike supervision and safety and soundness requirements, are almost certainly of lower quality than banks' loan portfolios. If they implode, the damage could be extensive.

The bank's U.S. operations will be closely monitored during a yearslong probationary period, during which any sign of backsliding could trigger swift punitive action.