Financial Services Notes

"You turn from the depressing “we can’t do that” to the positive “why can’t we do that”. It is very..."

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:45:03 -0800

“You turn from the depressing “we can’t do that” to the positive “why can’t we do that”. It is very powerful when your energies are used in developing things your member wants instead of cloning what others already have.”

- What small credit unions must have – the 3i’s « Tinfoiling

Jwaala » Blog Archive » Jwaala Adds Twitter & Skype Alerting to BOB

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:32:00 -0800

Jwaala » Blog Archive » Jwaala Adds Twitter & Skype Alerting to BOB :

I think this is great - while Twitter might still be a bit of a niche service, it is a great option for FIs to offer to reach customers through multiple channels. Meet the customer where they are!

Arianna Huffington’s Gift to Community Banks

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 12:26:30 -0800

Arianna Huffington’s Gift to Community Banks

The Financial Services Club's Blog: Fragmenting the banking structure

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:47:16 -0800

The Financial Services Club's Blog: Fragmenting the banking structure

Is Your Bank Offering Too Many Checking Accounts?

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:07:44 -0800

Is Your Bank Offering Too Many Checking Accounts?:

Provides some important and insightful comments on the changing role of banks in the consumer’s eyes.

Compliance: Gain a Competitive Edge « The Garland Group

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:04:41 -0800

Compliance: Gain a Competitive Edge « The Garland Group:

I couldn’t agree more with the approach - converting compliance from an expense of “ticking the box” to an actual business competency can have significant benefits to business.

Who Are Credit Unions Trying To Attract? « Marketing Tea Party by Ron Shevlin

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:43:58 -0800

Who Are Credit Unions Trying To Attract? « Marketing Tea Party by Ron Shevlin

What banks can do to attract consumers' deposits - Nov. 24, 2009

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:21:54 -0800

What banks can do to attract consumers' deposits - Nov. 24, 2009

To Big to Fail and How Little the Concept is Misunderstood

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:06:46 -0700

To Big to Fail and How Little the Concept is Misunderstood

Vantage CU Launches Mobile Banking Via Twitter

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:58:04 -0700

Vantage CU Launches Mobile Banking Via Twitter:

This is the first I’ve seen of a traditional FI using Twitter for financial services. A great (and probably rather easy/cheap) way to offer mobile banking. The downside is that authentication is not managed by the bank, some serious risks.

Kasasa: A third-party national checking brand

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:59:16 -0700

Kasasa: A third-party national checking brand:

This is a really interesting concept, will be very interesting to watch and could change the way smaller financial institutions compete as the big get bigger.

ProductMarketing.com: Friday fun: ING says 'don't freak out'

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 12:35:06 -0700

ProductMarketing.com: Friday fun: ING says 'don't freak out':

While this looks great from a marketing perspective, it is an open invitation for phishing scammers - if all they need to do is say “don’t freak out” their job becomes so much easier.

This leads to an interesting question, especially for financial institutions as the online brand and presence becomes more important and consumers become more dependant upon it - how to improve and maintain the online channel without out “freaking out” the customers or exposing them to possible fraud?

UWCU Source Code -- The Web Branch Blog: See Web Branch Data and History in a Calendar View

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:42:05 -0700

UWCU Source Code -- The Web Branch Blog: See Web Branch Data and History in a Calendar View:

This is a great example of a financial institution doing something unique, usable, and interesting through the online channel. It looks to be quite creative and I can certainly imagine users loving this functionality when looking for past transactions, or keeping track of future transactions.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Ugandan shock as bank disappears

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:07:21 -0700

BBC NEWS | Africa | Ugandan shock as bank disappears:

It is doubly sad that the victims of this scam will be turned off from legitimate banking services for a long time, possibly for life.

Financial crime: Fraud reporting | The Economist

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:53:27 -0700

Financial crime: Fraud reporting | The Economist

The PayPal Blog » Blog Archive » PayPal Send Money Updates

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:43:39 -0700

The PayPal Blog » Blog Archive » PayPal Send Money Updates:

This step from PayPal may bring mobile P2P payments in the states that much closer to common place.

“Visa, MasterCard Plan Processing Fee Hikes” (via CSN) « WayTooHigh.com

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:57:04 -0700

“Visa, MasterCard Plan Processing Fee Hikes” (via CSN) « WayTooHigh.com:

I disagree with about 90% of the commentary on the linked to site, and the reference link provides no real information (PR would be better), but if this is true, it seems to be a bad thing at this point in time.

Conversation Agent: Top 10 Reasons Why Your Customers are Being Difficult

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:56:54 -0800

Conversation Agent: Top 10 Reasons Why Your Customers are Being Difficult:

Sometimes we have to look within rather than just blame others.

Online thieves scam state of Utah out of $2.5 million - Ars Technica

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 08:25:11 -0800

Online thieves scam state of Utah out of $2.5 million - Ars Technica:

Complex frauds often involve the breakdown on numerous controls. This one looks like a great example.

Banking on Customers: Hey! WAKE UP!

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:14:03 -0800

Banking on Customers: Hey! WAKE UP!:

Walmart knows retail, and retail financial services are not a big stretch. Banks and credit unions need to keep their eyes open.