The Synapse Bankruptcy has Echoes of What SVB Taught Us About FBOs
Konrad Alt and Patrick Haggerty The Synapse bankruptcy is raising fresh concerns about the challenges of protecting depositors whose...
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Brian Graham
Mar 195 min read
Is the banking system in crisis or just fine?
BY BRIAN GRAHAM The recent rescue of NYCB through the infusion of private capital comes almost exactly a year after the collapse of...
Kevin Stein
Mar 114 min read
Q4 2023 Post Mortem
BY KEVIN STEIN AND BRIAN GRAHAM Industry results for the fourth quarter of 2023 were weak on average; the largest banks outperformed and...
Michele Alt
Nov 7, 20232 min read
Regulators owe community banks more than nostalgia
BY MICHELE ALT For years, scenes from “It’s a Wonderful Life” played on a loop in the FDIC’s public foyer, illustrating the romantic lens...
Simon Gilbert
Oct 17, 20235 min read
How to understand capital ratios
BY SIMON GILBERT In our meetings with clients, the three most common words are “a”, “the”, and “capital.” And it’s not surprising: some...
Simon Gilbert
Sep 12, 20235 min read
How (and why) to read a bank’s call report
As the banking crisis continues to unfold, regulators who scrutinize banks, fintechs wondering if their banking partner is sound, and...
Kevin Stein
Aug 15, 20233 min read
Chairman Gruenberg is Swinging
BY KEVIN STEIN FDIC Chairman Marty Gruenberg’s recent speech at the Brookings Institution Center for Regulation and Markets had some...
Tod Gordon
Aug 11, 20233 min read
Roadmap to Ratings Recovery
BY TOD GORDON Moody’s recent ratings actions impacting 27 U.S. banks reflects a belated recognition of challenges facing the banking...
Patrick Haggerty
Aug 10, 20235 min read
The Intricacies of Deposit Reporting Under the Microscope
BY PATRICK HAGGERTY In the aftermath of recent bank failures and subsequent deposit flight from several regional banks, the way banks...
Andreas Westgaard
Aug 3, 20232 min read
Decoding the new regulatory guidance on third-party relationships
BY ANDREAS WESTGAARD AND CHRISTINA HUNT-FUHR The much-anticipated guidance on third-party relationships issued in June by the Fed, OCC,...
Kevin Stein
Jul 26, 20231 min read
What’s not to like about the Banc of CA/PacWest transaction?
BY KEVIN STEIN There’s a lot to like about the Banc of California/PacWest merger announced yesterday. The transaction creates a combined...
Brian Graham
Jul 13, 20234 min read
What to Watch for in Second Quarter Bank Earnings
BY BRIAN GRAHAM The first half of 2023 has been chaotic for the banking industry: a spate of bank failures, fundamental restructuring of...
Tod Gordon
Jul 12, 20232 min read
Debunking Deposit Dogma
BY TOD GORDON Bank liquidity regulation and resulting practices were derived and honed from the learnings of the Financial Crisis. A...
Kevin Stein
Jul 10, 20232 min read
Only Consolidation Will Save American Community and Regional Banks
BY KEVIN STEIN Over my thirty-five years in the banking sector, I’ve witnessed the number of FDIC-insured depositories decline from...
Jonah Crane
Jun 1, 20236 min read
Post-GFC Bank Investments by Private Equity, Part 1: The Regulatory Playbook
BY JONAH CRANE, BRIAN GRAHAM, AND KEVIN STEIN Once again, the banking system is under stress and banks are in need of additional capital....
Michele Alt
May 12, 20232 min read
Regulators Need to Finish the Job of Curbing Faulty Banker Incentive Compensation Arrangements
BY MICHELE ALT In the Fed report analyzing the dramatic collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Michael Barr, the Fed’s vice chair for...
Vince Curotto
May 5, 20232 min read
Banks at a Crossroad
BY VINCENT CUROTTO On Weds. May 3, just hours after Jerome Powell assured the public that the U.S. banking sector was “sound and...
Patrick Haggerty
Mar 23, 20237 min read
Bail-In Out: What Happened to Bondholders in the UBS–Credit Suisse Merger?
By PATRICK HAGGERTY Following the announcement over the weekend that Swiss regulators had forced through an emergency acquisition by UBS...
Mary Dent
Feb 16, 20233 min read
Redefining Who's "Unbanked" in America
By MARY DENT & TRACY BASINGER The FDIC’s biennial national survey of unbanked and underbanked households has been the “go to” reference...
Jonah Crane
Nov 15, 20222 min read
How Fintech Partnerships Can Help Mid-Sized Banks Solve Their Funding Problems
BY JONAH CRANE Over the past year, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates at the fastest pace in history, and quickly rolled back...
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