It's a Great Time To Start A Bank Start-up banks lack name recognition and customers. These days, though, they have one important advantage over just about every established rival: no crummy loans.

While the Giants Reel, Many Small Banks Are Thriving Last fall, soon after Congress decided it would spend $700 billion to shore up the nation's flailing financial system, about 100 shareholders of Reunion Bank of Florida gathered for a party.

In Defense of Bankers One obvious point being lost: the vast majority of toilers in the financial vineyards had nothing to do with the meltdown.

Will The Subprime Flu Infect De Novo Bank Prospects? The current economic difficulties, often labeled the subprime flu, may have a happy ending for those who are able to navigate the charter process.

This May Be the Ideal Time To Start a Bank In the current mess, startups hold a key advantage: a clean slate. Unlike existing banks, those born after the bust don't have bad assets threatening their books and earnings.

Your Own Private ATM Dan Hudson spoke in the laid-back tone of someone who's given the same pitch many times, but his words gave them hope: "I believe now is the best time to start a bank."

Big Ideas For A New America In the fall of 2007, Countrywide Financial, then the nation's largest mortgage lender, had a curious new idea -- or, more precisely, an old one. It would no longer import foreign capital through Wall Street to make subprime loans.

IBM and Bank Systems & Technology Video: Innovation in Banking What does innovation mean to banks? Innovative products and services are a necessity, but true innovation also requires a shift in corporate culture and business models.

A New Balance of Power Wayne Cottle has worked closely over the years with state regulators to make sure all is in order with Dean Bank, a $217 million mutually owned financial institution in Franklin, Massachusetts. But for Cottle, president and chief executive officer at Dean, having the Massachusetts Division of Banks as a regulator may not be a realistic option down the road.

What's So Great About Being a Bank? I want a new toaster! Maybe a microwave, too. Anyone remember when banks tried to attract deposits with a veritable wagonload of small appliances? As more and more companies morph into banks, competition for deposits is going to again become fierce. I'm seriously hoping to update my kitchen.

Banks Making Money, 2008: Q1 - FDIC Deteriorating asset quality concentrated in real estate loan portfolios continued to take a toll on the earnings performance of many insured institutions in first quarter 2008.

Grant Thorton's 15th Bank Executive Summary Banker's across the country are seeing unsettling signs that point to a challenging year ahead. They are aware that the declining economy, faltering credit markets, and heady bank competition, set against the backdrop of an uncertain political year, are converging to create the need for innovative strategies and experienced leadership. With this in mind, Grant Thornton LLP, in association with Bank Director magazine, conducted the "15th Bank Executive Survey," a comprehensive study that seeks to capture bank executives’ opinions and plans for the year ahead.

Grant Thornton's 13th Annual Survey of Community Bank Executives This survey explores how bankers juggle myriad banking and business issues and ensure good governance, safe and sound operations and profitability.

Restructuring the Banking System Banks must play a key role in solving the economic crisis, but two challenges confront us. First, the industry has ...

U.S. Treasury Department Office of Public Affairs Fact Sheet: Treasury Releases Blueprint for a Stronger Regulatory Structure

The Department of Treasury Blueprint for a Modernized Financial Regulatory Structure Market conditions today provide a pertinent backdrop for this report’s release, reinforcing the direct relationship between strong consumer ...

Remarks by Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. on Blueprint for Regulatory Reform A strong financial system is vitally important - not for Wall Street, not for bankers, but for working Americans. When our markets work, people ...

The New Finance and Risk Agrenda Increased sophistication and liquidity in the capital markets, advances in analytics and changes to regulation and accounting standards are forcing banks to change the way they manage their capital.

2008 FDIC Industry Report According to the FDIC ninety-nine percent of insured institutions were well-capitalized at the end of 2007, and nearly 90% were profitable for the year.

New Banks Forming To Target Niche Markets With the radical changes in demographics in this country, a new batch of de novo banks has cropped up to reach out to both recent immigrants and multi-generational ethnic markets. Though the strategy of niche marketing is by no means new, the execution is increasingly innovative as these ethnic and relationship-focused banks respond to the needs of their customers. Whether they are offering product -bending innovation, or redesigning their bricks-and-mortar locations, the approach is giving new entrants an edge over larger competitors in reaching what are largely untapped markets.

Bank mergers, formations likely to grow The number of new banks being started in metro Atlanta has not kept pace with the number of banks being acquired over the past 12 years, but experts expect a lot more of both this year.

Texas-based bank tests IPO waters Looking to expand, the president and chief executive of SNB Bancshares Inc. decided to take his financial institution public -- the state's third bank IPO in nearly six years.

Is The Small-Bank Boom Over? The past five years or so have been heady times for community bank startups. As beneficiaries of the fallout from the last wave of big-bank mergers, they've gained disgruntled customers seeking first-name service with a smile

Key Depository Markets for Banks... A Texas Perspective From 1997 through 2001, deposits grew at a rate of 5.75% annually,the third fastest rate among large states.

Barron's on Bankmark: Vaulting Ambition You, too, can charter a bank. All it takes is $10 million, hard work and lots of patience.

Interest growing in local Hispanic bank Examining the changes underway that influence the health of the banking industry in the United States