Features Banking

His forecast calling for a wave of litigation later this year, Neil Rosolinsky is seeing early the mounting ripples of class-action lawsuits against banks. He remembers how banks bore so much blame for the previous economic crisis, though the Great Recession may pale in comparison with the strife being brought on by COVID-19. This spring, […]

Like most banks, BAC Credomatic Panama began as a traditional financial institution, with many transactions being done in-person and on-paper. While it had already begun a digital transformation, that shift has picked up speed during the COVID-19 crisis. According to vice president of legal operations Normandy Gomez, the bank has continued offering its services. Although […]

These are things that should be learned early, says Linda Ellis. Opening a savings or checking account, building credit and understanding a credit report, and borrowing money—all are essential lessons that should be taught as early as middle school, long before any financial decisions students make as young adults. “It was something that was greatly […]

Lance Morrison compares the legal function at a financial institution to that of a duck gliding across a smooth pond. It may look pristine and calm from a distance, but beneath the surface those legs are constantly kicking as they work to keep things moving. This is particularly true at Civista Bank, where Morrison is […]

It is a burgeoning industry bringing in billions of dollars in revenue across the U.S. and spurring technological advances in agriculture as its crops are found in edibles, beverages, oils and the traditional plant form. And yet, offering bank accounts and loans to businesses involved in marijuana cultivation and sales is completely off-limits for banks—because […]

What do Oprah Winfrey and North Dakota’s Bell Bank have in common? That would be Bell Bank’s charitable Pay It Forward program, inspired by the TV icon 16 years ago. Since its inception in 2008, more than $15 million in charitable donations have been given by the Fargo financial institution, making headlines in the process […]

General counsel and vice president of BMO Harris Financial Advisors since October 2015, Amanda Demas recalls how with a previous firm she witnessed an aggressive middle-aged son bringing his very elderly mother into an office and practically strong-arming her into restructuring her portfolio to his favor. “Prior to then, his mother was always on top […]

When it’s time to move in or move on, wouldn’t it be nice for landlords and renters to know more about each other? In what condition did the tenant leave their past apartment? Did they get their full security deposit back? And how about the owner or property manager—how frequently did they withhold a portion […]

When it came to helping the new kid on the block get a start, Luis Alberto Cárdenas was there. Cárdenas, Banco Sabadell’s legal director for its Mexican operations, was also the first hire for the bank’s legal department when it started in 2015. Since then, his team has grown to 13, but he clearly recalls […]

Karen McDonough gets paid to think about retirement, all day every day. Not her own, mind you rather the multi-billion-dollar retirement and employee benefits industry that her employer, USI Consulting Group (USICG), caters to. As the chief legal officer explains, the retirement and benefits industry is in a constant state of flux: She and her […]