Less Branches but not Branch-less
There are regular discussions at conferences about the cashless, branchless future. Visa and MasterCard are huge advocates of a war on cash, as are the mobile wallet providers. Brett King and the Read More
Three Tactics To Keep Customers from Switching
It’s no secret that retail banks across the country face an enormous revenue challenge. In the summer of 2010, regulatory changes to Regulation E went into effect, significantly reducing the revenue banks could earn with Read More
The Relationship Pricing Trap
For good reasons most bankers esteem the importance of relationships. Unfortunately, many bankers casually transfer that esteem to “relationship pricing.”
We have come to realize that bankers must be more discerning in their decisions. Read More
From Mobile Bill Payment to Mobile Wallet
Over the last year, media attention and overall interest in mobile payments has surged dramatically. While point-of-sale (POS) payments and mobile wallets have grabbed most of the headlines, the real story may be the growth Read More
Battle Against Account Takeover
As fast as banks plug the holes in their security dams, criminals are finding alternative ways to take over customer accounts. “Even though we probably have a better ability to identify and catch these guys, they Read More
Employee Retention for Customer Service
With revenues under pressure and cost-cutting measures moving to the forefront, the next few years are likely to be difficult for bank employees. Managers will have to work hard to maintain employee morale – particularly Read More
The Challenge of Multi-Channel Delivery
Retail banking today is more complex than ever for many reasons, including changing consumer preferences, regulatory uncertainty and the challenge of maintaining an array of delivery channels that are now available to and expected by Read More
Virtual Customers: Who’s Minding the Store?
Are retail banks overlooking a major segment of their customer base? It seems improbable, especially given the intense hunt for growth in a tight market. Yet, that is exactly what’s happening at many regional banking Read More
‘Visionary’ Financial Services for the Underbanked
Banks have struggled serving the un- and underbanked for decades. By definition, one wonders how banks can ever serve the unbanked. Even so, to date, it seems that a majority of bank efforts to capture Read More
Three Keys to Success in Mobile Banking
The banking world is quickly being split into two camps: those that currently offer a mobile banking solution and those that will. The majority of banks, in my experience, are rolling out mobile banking defensively. Read More
The Case for Regional Deposit Pricing
When it comes to deposit pricing, the U.S. market is far from homogenous. An analysis of the average deposit rates in the 50 states and District of Columbia during 2011 shows that the spectrum of Read More
Protection through Collaboration in Mobile Payments
Where there’s innovation, there’s often danger, a phenomenon well-recognized by the financial services industry as it ventures into the emerging technologies of mobile banking and payments. Fraud and security issues have the potential to derail Read More
Mobile Primer: What Does it All Mean?
Most everyone in financial services these days is talking about mobile banking, mobile commerce, mobile payments and mobile wallets. But, are they all the same thing? How do they differ? Lack of coherent and consistent Read More
Going Slow in Mobile is Going Prudently
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s (FDIC) most recent Supervisory Insight quarterly report posted in December acknowledges myriad security risks related to banks’ mobile banking products and offerings. As FDIC policy analyst Jeffrey Kopchik writes, “Financial Read More
Entrepreneurs Needed (Again) in Community Banking
We hear bankers today talking about “getting back to the basics.” That’s fine as a sound bite but what basics are they referencing and how far back are they suggesting we go?
Banking last went Read More
Tablet Banking: The Quest for Functionality
Consumers are increasingly using their mobile phones to interact with their financial institution; the 2011 Fiserv Consumer Trends Survey shows that more than a quarter of U.S. online consumers have used mobile banking. Interest in Read More
Placing Multiple Bets in Payments
Major change in payments is coming but the outlines of that change remain obscure. Which technology and business model will win out in the end? Making the right choice is the challenge facing bank payments Read More
Risk Assessment for Mortgage Servicers
As we move into the height of the 2012 presidential election cycle, issues of consumer protection in the financial services industry are front and center on the political agenda, as can be seen in the Read More
The Big Bank Banker: Handle with Care
Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock with the Geico gecko has likely noticed that the banking industry has been taking it on the chin for the past couple years. Hardly a week goes Read More
Social Media for the Bottom Line
Social media – whether in the form of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or other online communities – has long passed the phase of a fad. However, banks are still struggling with how social media can help Read More