BankThink

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.

The incoming Trump administration, and state-level government across the country, should use the election as an opportunity to bring the supervisory treatment of fintech into line with the new reality of financial services.

Bank fees don't arise from a naked profit-grab, but from an effort to offset current or expected losses. Eliminating one kind of fee just pushes banks to find an alternative method of recouping those losses.

Every time we revise bank capital rules, we uncover new flaws that leave banks unprepared for unexpected stress events.

The president-elect's sweeping victory last week suggests a mandate from voters to bring back the economy he presided over in his prior term. But his policies on immigration, trade and federal spending could give voters — and banks — exactly what they don't want.

As long as fraud-prevention efforts remain siloed and bank-specific, perpetrators remain free to employ the same strategies over and over. Banks need to do a better job of sharing information and collaborating.