On April 8th, Rodney E. Hood was sworn in as the 11th Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). The North Carolina native has an extensive background in both the public and private sectors, including a previous stint on…
News
An Often Overlooked Subset of Community Banks
A study released last month by the FDIC regarding the “Structure, Performance, and Social Impact” of Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) included some interesting information, but left some out as well. An MDI can be either a) at least 51% owned…
Knowing the Difference Between APR and APY can Save Thousands $
Have you ever wondered why we list the annual percentage yield (APY) on our consumer CD rate page, but we list the annual percentage rate (APR) on our corporate CD rate page, Jumbo Rate News? Perhaps not. Perhaps you never…
Revitalizing Communities Across the USA
When thinking about patriotism, what comes to mind immediately, are the brave men and women of our armed forces and their families. And rightly so. Their devotion to this country and selfless commitment to defend us, its citizens, no matter…
Powell’s First Dissenter, Sign of Things to Come?
Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell did not bow to pressure from Potus to lower the benchmark Fed Funds target rate range (currently between 2¼ and 2½%). But, for the first time under his leadership, Powell failed to arrive at a…
New Bank & Credit Union Star-Ratings Are Out; Mergers Take a Bite, But New Institutions are Coming
June 17, 2019: BauerFinancial, Inc., Coral Gables, FL, the nation’s leading independent bank and credit union rating firm has newly released bank and credit union star-ratings (based on March 31, 2019 financial data) now available on its website, bauerfinancial.com. Star-ratings…
New Credit Union Star-Ratings Now Available
All bank and credit union star ratings and reports are now based on March 31, 2019 financial data. After dedicating the past couple of issues entirely to banks, today’s issue focuses on federally-insured credit unions …which had a very positive…
Signs of Life in De-Novo Bank Activity
Two new banks reported 1st quarter 2019 financial data for the first time and several more are in varying stages of the de novo process (see page 7). Established on 12/31/2018, 3½-Star Generations Commercial Bank, Seneca Falls, NY was the…
All Bank Star-Ratings Now Based on 1st Qtr Data
All bank star ratings and reports are now updated based on March 31, 2019 financial data. The total number of banks reporting has decreased to 5,362. That’s down 4.4% from a year earlier. No banks failed in 2018 or for…
Bauer Urges: Don’t be a Victim
French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr once wrote, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Surely he was not speaking about banking, but it seems to be a universal truth. Once or twice a year, bank regulators will…
Protect Consumers, Don’t Harm Community Banks
Wells Fargo has been the poster child for years now for charging excessive fees. The bank is now in the hunt for its third CEO in as many years with both regulators and Congress keeping a watchful eye. So much…