Community banks don’t need millions of dollars of deposit insurance
There are plenty of ways that lawmakers could help community bankers. Raising federal deposit insurance limits by a factor of 40 isn’t one of them.
What a bank’s TV ads say about its actual business
A new study has decoded banks’ television commercials, analyzing what the messaging reveals about the bank behind the advertisement. When an ad leans too hard on emotions, researchers found, viewers should beware.
How First Interstate is responding to activist pressure
The Billings, Montana-based bank finds itself in the crosshairs of a high-profile activist investor. On Thursday, it stuck to its organic growth plan and said it isn’t interested in using its excess capital to restructure its securities book.
John Bell III, former VA mortgage program executive, dies
Until August, Bell was the executive director for loan guaranty service at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he was credited with growing the program.
Mortgage rates tick down following Fed’s cut
The 30-year rate dropped just 0.2 percentage points, as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s recent comments caused Treasury yields to rise.
Top SBA lenders left in the lurch by government shutdown
Top SBA lenders are warning about the impact of a prolonged shutdown. NewtekOne skipped providing fourth-quarter guidance after its CEO said the situation was too cloudy to forecast.
Starling rolls out new AI scam advisor tool
The U.K. bank’s “Scam Intelligence” tool uses Google’s Gemini to analyze images and texts for red flags, aiming to reduce losses from authorized push payment fraud.
Insurers likely to exclude gen AI, startups wait in wings
A commonly used standard for property and casualty insurance will offer a carve-out for generative AI liability starting in January. Startups like Testudo, Vouch and Armilla AI stand by to scoop up that business.
Kennedy threatens ‘no’ vote for Hill over workplace scandal
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., asked acting Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chair Travis Hill, who has been tapped to lead the agency permanently by President Trump, for a report within 30 days about progress made in the agency’s sexual harassment scandal, saying his vote is contingent on that report.
Mastercard makes agentic AI a star of its services strategy
During Thursday’s earnings call, CEO Michael Miebach said the payment company is partnering with large technology firms and offering consulting for the emerging form of artificial intelligence, attempting to expand a strategy to draw revenue beyond card processing.