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Journal Article
The impact of debit card regulation on checking account fees
Starting in 2011, when new regulations capped the interchange fees paid to banks for debit card transactions, some news reports predicted banks might increase checking account fees. The cap reduced many banks' revenue and the concern was that they might offset their losses by charging more for checking accounts. Sullivan examines data from broad samples of banks and finds that many large banks raised fees?but among the thousands of smaller banks that had been exempted from the regulations, some raised fees while others lowered them. On net, consumer access to free checking actually increased. ...
Journal Article
The changing nature of U.S. card payment fraud: industry and public policy options
As credit and debit card payments have become the primary payment instrument in retail transactions, awareness of identity theft and concerns over the safety of payments has increased. Traditional forms of card payment fraud are still an important threat, but fraud resulting from unauthorized access to payment data appears to be rising, and we are only beginning to get a sense of the dimensions of the problem. ; Thus far, the role of public policy has been to encourage the card payment industry to limit fraud by developing its own standards and procedures. Whether this policy stance is ...
Journal Article
Can smart cards reduce payments fraud and identity theft?
In the United States, when a consumer presents a payment to a merchant, the merchant typically makes a request for authorization before accepting the payment. Personal information, such as an account number, address, or telephone number, are often enough to initiate a payment. A serious weakness of this system is that criminals who obtain the correct personal information can impersonate an honest consumer and commit payments fraud. ; A key to improving security-and reducing payments fraud-might be payment smart cards. Payment smart cards have an embedded computer chip that encrypts messages ...
Journal Article
Performance and operation of commercial bank web sites
This article reviews banker experience with Internet banking based on responses to the 2001 Survey of Commercial Banks in the Tenth Federal Reserve District. The performance of bank Web sites (measured by customer enrollment, usage rate, fee revenues, and generation of new customers) has been modest but is similar to experience of most U.S. banks. Developing policies, working with vendors, regulatory requirements, security, and marketing and promotion head the list of activities that challenge banks when installing and operating Web sites. Long-term strategic factors, such as remaining ...
Journal Article
The outlook for the U.S. banking industry : what does the experience of the 1980s and 1990s tell us?
In many respects, the 1980s appear to be the worst decade in banking since the Great Depression, while the 1990s could be rated as the best. Over 1,100 commercial banks failed or needed FDIC assistance during the 1980s, and significant parts of the thrift industry became insolvent and had to be resolved, costing taxpayers $125 billion. In contrast, the banking industry began a dramatic recovery in the first half of 1990s and has recently achieved record profitability, extremely low levels of loan losses, and the highest capital ratios since the early 1940s. As a result, the number of banks ...
Journal Article
Risk management and nonbank participation in the U.S. retail payments system
The retail payments system in the United States has changed significantly in recent years. Advances in technology have caused a greater reliance on electronic payment networks. And the industrial structure of the payment services industry has evolved, as more and more nonbanks deliver payment products to end users and supply back-end processing. In general, these changes have made the payments system more efficient and given more choices to consumers and more payment options to merchants and businesses. ; At the same time, however, the rapid pace of change has introduced new risks to the ...
Journal Article
The Federal Reserve’s reduced role in retail payments: implications for efficiency and risk
The Federal Reserve?s role in clearing and settling retail payments has declined in recent years. This stems not only from the expanding role of private-sector organizations, but also from the ongoing shift by consumers from paper checks to debit cards. ; Some suggest it would be most efficient for the Federal Reserve to offer settlement services mainly for payments among financial institutions, while others believe it should stay involved in retail payments as well. ; Sullivan argues that the Federal Reserve?s role in settling retail payments may actually promote efficiency, by providing a ...
Journal Article
How does ownership structure and manager wealth influence risk? : a look at ownership structure, manager wealth, and risk in commercial banks
Bank managers, stockholders, and directors must work closely together in deciding what risks their bank will assume and how to control the bank's overall risk exposure. Each decision-maker will have to understand the risk preferences of others in order to make mutually acceptable decisions and develop policies that reflect all of their concerns. To the extent that weak risk control is tied to management and ownership structure, bank examiners must also understand the basic components of a sound management and ownership structure if the examiner is to suggest corrective steps for a problem ...
Journal Article
Small business lending by commercial banks in Colorado : 1994 to 1996
The structure of Colorado's banking industry has recently undergone significant change and, therefore, provides a good case study with which to gauge the impact of consolidation on sources of loans and access to credit for small business. We find that between 1994 and 1996, lending to small businesses in Colorado by small to medium size banking organizations grew much faster than lending by large organizations. This lending pattern was similar across in-state and out-of-state banking organizations. Thus, the difference is largely driven by size rather than by the location of the ...