Bank M&A was “miserable” in 2023. Will this year be even worse?

Richard Hunt, executive chair of the Electronic Payments Coalition, talks about the battle over Capital One buying Discover, how it connects to the Durbin amendment’s restrictions on debit interchange fees, and why the fight over another Durbin legislative proposal on credit cards is so heated.

Neil Stanley, CEO of the CorePoint, offers strategies and products banks can use to attract and retain deposits in a highly competitive deposit environment.

The former Kansas City Fed president talks about the persistence of inflation, when the central bank is likely to lower interest rates, how worried she is about office CRE, the lessons from the failures of three regional banks last year, whether she supports a central bank digital currency, and the future of community banks.

After a prominent regional bank slashed its dividend amid unexpected losses related to office commercial real estate loans, some in the media are raising fears that another round of failures could be in the offing. Jaret Seiberg, managing director of Cowen’s Washington Research Group, details what happened, how regulators are responding, and whether it’s a sign of more trouble or a one-off event.

Kate Berry, who covers the CFPB for American Banker, goes behind the scenes on the consumer agency’s latest proposals to limit overdraft fees and institute new limits around nonsufficient funds transactions.

Naomi Snyder, editor-in-chief of Bank Director, discusses why the bank M&A market was so bad in 2023, and what changes need to happen for it to improve.

John Pitts, head of policy for Plaid, argues a new CFPB open-data proposal could transform the financial services industry. He says bankers, many of whom are skeptical of the plan, could see significant opportunities, including a greater ability to attract new customers.

Greg Baer, CEO of the Bank Policy Institute, makes the case that regulators did not follow the law when they proposed new capital standards for the biggest banks by failing to provide adequate analysis and data. He details what he believes is missing and why he’s confident a final rule will be substantially different.

Derek Williams, chairman of ICBA and President and CEO of Century Bank & Trust in Milledgeville, Georgia, talks about the challenges and opportunities for community banks as they head into a new year, including how he sees economic issues and policy debates playing out.

As AI becomes more prevalent, what are the risks to banks and consumers, particularly as software can now allow fraudsters to imitate a person's voice? Emily Flitter, reporter for the New York Times, talks about the growing threat from AI on financial security, how it is already changing lending and what policymakers can do to address it.