The financial meltdown resulting from the subprime mortgage crisis raised the debate about the role of financial institutions and the role of regulators in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. As a longtime advocate for community-based financial institutions, Open Solutions Inc. Chairman and CEO, Louis Hernandez, Jr., felt compelled to join the debate with his book “Too Small to Fail” to provide a voice for community-based institutions.

The State of the Financial Services Industry: A Mid-Year Review of the Current Landscape and the Challenges/ Opportunities that Lie Ahead

One of the fringe benefits of having a toddler son is that I get to watch a lot of children’s programming. Elmo, Mickey, Curious George: they feel like close personal friends. One of the chief tenets of today’s children’s programming is the notion that it’s OK to be different. No matter what you look like, we’re all the same inside, right? And even if someone looks different or talks differently, he/she deserves respect. It got me thinking. About banking. On a Saturday morning. I’m that kind of dad.

In my opinion, the biggest hurdles facing the bill is the votes in the House and Senate. If passed, President Obama will surely sign the bill to regain/build-up “political” capital lost from the government’s handling of the BP oil spill.

In our latest survey, we asked 1,200 U.S. small businesses about business package accounts. Only 13 percent of firms reported owning one; but more importantly, one-third said they were “Extremely or Very Interested” in owning such an account.