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Election 2020
Slideshow

'Good luck with legislating innovation': Comments of the week

ByVictoria Finkle
May 2, 2019 10:00 PM

Readers respond to JPMorgan's Twitter gaffe, weigh the role banks should play on issues like climate change, consider the impact of artificial intelligence on fair lending and more.

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On a look at which White House hopefuls are talking about banking ahead of the 2020 elections and why most seem to be leaving the issue on the back burner for now:

"They aren't talking about banking because they are going the socialist route in this election. If elected, they will simply take over the industry, among others, if they have their way. That sounds dramatic, even crazy, but listen to what they are saying."

Related: Why aren't White House hopefuls talking about banking?
Smokestacks for story on climate change and banks, pollution
Steam rises from cooling towers at a coal-fired power plant West Virginia, U.S. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
Bloomberg Creative Photos/Bloomberg
On an argument that banks need focus on maximizing returns, not lowering their greenhouse gas emissions or pursuing other corporate social responsibility efforts:

"I believe there is a social contract between financial institutions and with society as a whole. There is nothing more important than inclusive business models that build value for individuals over institutions" via Twitter.

Related: Virtue-signaling banks hurt shareholders and customers
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, speaks to members of the media near the Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. Facing a tough vote count that's currently well short, several Senate Republicans said a stopgap bill to fund the government for just a few days is now under discussion. Photographer: Zach Gibson/ Bloomberg
Zach Gibson/Bloomberg
On Sen. Dick Durbin reintroducing a bill to cap consumer loans at 36% interest nationwide:

"'Durbin’s bill would also encourage the creation of alternatives to payday lending...' Good luck with legislating innovation."

Related: Durbin reintroduces bill to cap consumer loans at 36%
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A man stands outside a JPMorgan Chase & Co. bank branch in New York, U.S., on Wednesday, April 14, 2010. JPMorgan Chase & Co. said a "broad-based" economic recovery boosted first-quarter earnings 55 percent, surprising analysts with record fixed-income trading revenue and a better-than-expected outlook for consumer credit. Photographer: Jin Lee/Bloomberg
Jin Lee/Bloomberg
On reactions to a financial health tweet by JPMorgan Chase that many found insensitive:

"People don't like to be reminded that they are ultimately responsible for their actions and the consequences of those actions. It is much easier to place the blame elsewhere by saying 'you don't pay me enough.'"

Related: JPMorgan's snarky tweet about financial wellness draws swift backlash
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loan application in business folder showing financial investment concept
gunnar3000 - stock.adobe.com
On an argument that the Financial Accounting Standards Board wields too much power, as exemplified by the new credit loss accounting method it's rolling out:

"This is another idyllic solution in search of a problem for community banks. The idea that there is some magical and precise formula for predicting loan losses at the point of origination is fanciful thinking. Most loan portfolio characteristics aren't that homogenous and we do a disservice to investors if we facilitate the belief that there is certainty in a function that is by any and all accounts a financial estimate. Good, and thought provoking article."

Related: FASB’s accountability problem
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doucefleur - stock.adobe.com
On an argument that policymakers have more work to do to ensure fair-lending laws keep pace with advancements in artificial intelligence:

"And let's not forget the correlation between creditworthiness and the analysis of your DNA that AI will scrape off of Ancestry.com or 23andme.com. Whatever happened to the 5 Cs of credit?"

Related: Fair-lending laws haven’t caught up to AI
Victoria Finkle
BankThink Editor , American Banker
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