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...

Credit and especially debit card transactions are on the rise worldwide. Interchange fees are an integral part of the pricing structure of credit and debit card transactions. Indirectly paid by merchants to card issuers, interchange fees in most countries are set by credit and debit card...

Industrial loan companies, or ILCs, are a small, but rapidly growing part of the financial industry. These state-chartered institutions operate in seven states and have nearly all of the same powers as commercial banks. However, ILCs differ greatly from banks in one characteristic--the type of...

The recent financial crisis reopened debate about how much public assistance to give to distressed financial institutions. Some argue that even traditional assistance in the form of federal deposit insurance can create moral hazard problems, leading banks to take on greater risk once they are...

Many of the origins of the recent financial crisis were in the United States, beginning with subprime mortgages and mortgage securities. As the crisis spread globally, few market participants or regulatory authorities saw it coming and all underestimated its severity. ; In the United States, the...

From the early days of automated card sorting to the more recent times of the Internet and check imaging, payments and payments processing have continually embraced new technology. At the same time, the industry has been shaped by its share of entry and exit, through startups, mergers, and the...

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...

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...

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...