Regulators and lawmakers, desperately trying to end (or at least end the perception of) “too big to fail” (TBTF), are at odds of how best to do so. The conversation seems to be moving forward, or is it really just…
Bauer’s Adjusted CR vs. the Texas Ratio
Twenty-seven and a half years ago (January 1986) JRN started its third year with a new tool, Bauer’s Adjusted Capital Ratio. By subtracting delinquent loans and repossessed assets from both the numerator and the denominator of the leverage ratio equation,…
Opting-In Can be Costly
Since the summer of 2010, financial institutions are no longer allowed to charge overdraft fees for ATM withdrawals or debit card transactions without permission. Customers must sign an opt-in agreement for the “courtesy” of being allowed to overdraw their account…
New Bank & Credit Union Ratings Show Industry Weathered the Storm
June 11, 2013: Newly released bank and credit union ratings from BAUERFINANCIAL, Inc., the nation’s bank rating firm, indicate that the U.S. banking industry has weathered the storm. The percentage of banks recommended by the firm (i.e. rated 5-Stars or…
Pritzger: Where Did You Hear That Name?
President Obama has nominated long-time supporter, prominent fundraiser, and friend, Penny Pritzger, to be Secretary of Commerce, a position that has been vacant for almost a year. If her name sounds familiar, don’t be surprised. The Pritzger family is well…
What’s In Bauer’s Star-Ratings? Why Should You Care?
Last week’s chart showed that a bank’s leverage capital ratio doesn’t always rise and fall proportionally with star-ratings. Often, regulatory capital ratios are not a leading indicator of a bank’s health but a lagging one. Take GulfSouth Private Bank, Destin,…
Top 100 Banks in Over 100 Categories
April 5, 2013: Top 100 Banks in Over 100 Categories, BAUERFINANCIAL, Inc.,’s newest book, is scheduled to be released on April 12th. Here are some of the trends that have emerged with this fourth edition. Big Banks are getting bigger,…
Taxpayers Should be Outraged…
Background: Bank Holding Companies with $50 billion or more in total consolidated assets are required by Dodd-Frank to submit annual capital plans to the Federal Reserve. The plan is to include all actions expected to impact capital over the next…
Changes to Deposit Insurance Coverage Jan. 1st, 2013
January 3, 2013: Since 2010, the Transaction Account Guaranty Program (TAG) provided unlimited deposit insurance coverage on noninterest-bearing transaction accounts. No more. It expired as scheduled on December 31, 2012. At September 30th, there was $1.5 trillion exceeding the $250,000…
Complaint or Question About Your Bank or CU?
Complaint or Question About Your Financial Institution? We do a lot of things here at BauerFinancial, but since we are a private research firm, and not a government agency, fielding complaints about financial institutions is not really one of them.…