Retail Banking Strategies

Starbucks is closing stores after years of aggressive growth. Will banks face the same fate? Read the rest of this entry »

The subprime crisis is threatening to plunge the US into its’ first recession since 2001 — if it hasn’t already done so. The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has done a great job of explaining the cascade of events, proposed remedies, and response of the Federal Reserve. This is well worth reading. See Inside the Subprime Crisis.

The newspapers were full of news today about the US Attorney’s probe of mortgage fraud which led to the arrest of 400 people nationwide. A headline in the Chicago Tribune screamed “67 from Chicago area charged in U.S. Crackdown on mortgage fraud”. We played a small role in helping to bring down one of these rings. Here’s our story. Read the rest of this entry »

I went to my mother-in-law’s branch of Union Bank of California yesterday and was surprised to find newly installed mantraps. Read the rest of this entry »

What is the controversy over LIBOR and why are some experts suggesting that banks replace it with a different index? Read the rest of this entry »

How do you make a small branch on a busy corner really “pop”? Wachovia did it in Dallas. Read the rest of this entry »

The widely watched S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index released on Wednesday showed home prices declining 14% from the same period last year. These are scary numbers for both homeowners and lenders. Why are some financial institutions gearing up home equity and mortgage lending in the face of this negative trend? Precision targeting is the key. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been impressed with Wachovia’s ability to acquire premium retail branch locations in Texas. Read the rest of this entry »

It is not a surprise that a small number of customers contribute the majority of profits.  But what should you do with low value customers that cost more money than they provide in income? Read the rest of this entry »

Why did Cap One discontinue it’s innovative de-coupled debit card? Read the rest of this entry »

Payment products, especially for small businesses, are one of the most significant opportunities for financial institution revenue growth. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I made a presentation at the GIS Business Summit on Better Bank Branches: Improving Site Selection for Retail Banks. This is one of the premier gatherings of managers of Geographic Information Systems – the folk who do site selection, distribution planning, trade area mapping, etc. for major corporations. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m always interested in banks that are changing the model.

ServisFirst opened its doors in May 2005. At the end of 2007 it had assets of $850 million and earned net profits of $5.6 million on revenue of $51.4 million. Very heady performance for this start-up Read the rest of this entry »

John was my boss (or more accurately, my boss’s boss) at Citibank and was responsible for developing the retail bank into the powerhouse it became. Read the rest of this entry »

Retail Banking International just published its 2008 Retail Bank of the Year Awards.  I thought the following were of particular interest to US readers Read the rest of this entry »