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From the Editor Has the Document Management Revolution Really Eliminated Manual Processes? Technology has transformed the tools office workers use to do their jobs. But how much has really changed since the '60s? The Pressure on Management Is Intensifying as Conditions Continue to Worsen in Banking The recent revelations of the weak financial conditions at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the run on IndyMac Bank, show that the worst is far from over as the banking industry grapples with the subprime mortgage mess and related global credit crisis. Everything You Know About Banking, You Learned in High School New research from Careerbuilder.com suggests that one's experiences in high school shape their career choices, earnings and professional development. How Will Banks’ IT Organizations Fare Amid Industrywide Job Cuts? The Pains of the Global Credit Crunch Are Particularly Acute in New York The crisis at Bear Stearns shows the devastating consequences -- from bank failures to stricter regulation -- on the financial services industry of the subprime mess and global credit crisis, especially in the metropolitan New York region, are still unfolding. Bank CIOs Prepare To Tighten IT Belts in Expectation of Recession CIOs and other bank IT executives report they'll shift spending toward maintenance and infrastructure, versus new technology initiatives, as the outlook for the economy worsens. How Will Consolidation in the Document Management Sector Affect Banks? Recently announced mergers between Exstream Software and HP, and Document Sciences and EMC, highlight the importance of document management technologies in the financial services industry. Emerging Global Players Have the Resources To Transform the Banking Technology Business Four emerging global "financial power brokers" -- oil-rich countries, Asian central banks, hedge gunds and private equity firms -- are becoming increasingly active in the financial services and business technology sectors, according to a new report by the McKinsey Global Institute. http://www.informationweek.com/ Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis Is Not A Failure Of Technology It's been described as a number of things, but it's important to keep in mind that the sub-prime mortgage crises was not about a failure of technology. BS&T’s "Banking’s Most Innovative CIOs 2007" Balance Strategic Vision and Technical Expertise The six executives recognized as Bank Systems & Technology's "Banking's Most Innovative CIOs 2007" apply a range of technical and leadership skills to help their banks perform more competitively and profitably. The Pressure Is On Banks and Their IT Organizations To Address Environmental Issues HSBC is the latest among leading financial institutions to commit to addressing climate change and other environmental issues in everything from lending practices to IT operations, but there are no simple strategies for this complex issue. Online Banking Growth Outpacing That of Call Centers, Branches, ATMs, TowerGroup Report Says According to a recent TowerGroup report by research director Jerry Silva, online banking is increasing in use at an annual rate of 27 percent -- compared to 7 percent for the call center, 1.4 percent for the branch and only 0.5 percent for ATMs. A New Era In The Banking Technology Business? Recent news about Citigroup's restructuring and IT staff cuts, as well as private equity firm investments in bank systems vendors First Data Corp. and Metavante could signify a new era of restructuring within the banking technology business. A Consortium of U.S. Technology and Academic Organizations Addresses the Decline in Math and Science Graduates. Although information technology added $2 trillion to the economy, the U.S. lags Asia in math and science graduates; the Tapping America's Potential technology consortium aims to rouse Congress to action. What Are the IT and Distribution Implications of Citigroup’s Rebranding Initiative? Less Regulation Is the Key to Maintaining New York City’s and the U.S.’s Roles as Financial Services Capitals, Says a McKinsey Report Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor Eliot Spitzer and Senator Charles Schumer endorse a McKinsey report that says New York City and the U.S. could lose their places as financial services capitals because of regulation. Let’s Make a Deal The flurry of big technology-driven deals that have dominated the headlines in the bank technology business over the past month not only represent dramatic realignment in both the vendor and institution ranks, it also raises the question: So what happened to all the talk about organic growth? Merger Season In Minnesota, where I went to college, they say there are two seasons: winter and road repair. The climate feels similar in the financial services industry, where consolidation is occurring at a pace that makes one conclude there are two seasons in banking: mergers and integration, which could be considered the industry equivalent of road repair. What an Experience How can banks achieve growth and customer-retention goals when the products and services they offer are highly commoditized? And, in an increasingly commoditized financial services environment, how can banks differentiate themselves from other institutions? Debate Down Under In the world of payments, it's the proverbial best and worst (or, at least, most challenging) of times. Death of a Regulator It's no secret that dealing with the growing body of regulation has become a bigger part of bank CIOs' and other technology executives' jobs (not to mention their IT budgets). The Tough Get Going It's good to feel needed, and in banking these days perhaps no one is more valued than a capable technology executive. Rude Awakening? I'm sure I wasn't the only one startled a few weeks ago to hear the morning news mention, "Swift, an international banking organization." Karma on a Hanger An article that appeared in The Times earlier this month inspired an amazing number of passionate and angry letters from women (and a few sympathetic men), all sounding variations on this theme: Don't I -- and my money -- matter? For Your Own Good? Is the ability to market and cross-sell a matter of life or death? Does insight into customer preferences guarantee survival? Merger Season In Minnesota, where I went to college, they say there are two seasons: winter and road repair (the same is said about Chicago, where I grew up). You’re Wearing That? Just like lapels and skirt lengths, management concepts go in and out of style. Hoboken Revisited New Jersey-based retail banking innovator Commerce Bank was about to open a branch in Hoboken. Lost on Easy Street SWIFT Strategist Plots Course for MiFID European Commission directive has implications for competitiveness of global banks. A for Effort Since 2005 seems to have been the year of security concerns and challenges, it's gratifying that at the year's close the financial services industry received at least indirect recognition for its role in the war on terrorism. Calling in Sick With this year's brutal hurricane season officially over and winter looming, many bankers likely have business continuity and disaster recovery on the brain -- and rightly so. Answering the Call ROI Doesn’t Matter When does an opportunity become an obligation? Making the Grade Computing is completely integrated into almost everything we do to live our lives, from banking to making travel arrangements to buying clothes and books to gossiping. Groundhog Day I'm as imaginative as the next editor, but I cannot shake the feeling that I have been writing essentially the same editorial over and over the past few months - exhorting bank executives to get their acts together when it comes to managing critical information securely and responsibly. Measure for Measure April, known as the cruelest month, was particularly harsh this year for many high school students. The source of their suffering? School for Scandal It's amazing how often the grown-up business world seems to replicate childhood - especially junior high school. Change is Brewing The conventional wisdom about Citigroup's recent decision to sell its Travelers Life Insurance operations to MetLife was that Sandy Weill's grand plan for converged financial services had fizzled. Recipe for Failure Krispy Kreme's rise (no pun intended) and decline presents a classic cautionary tale to any organization that cares about profitable growth, brand value, business intelligence capabilities and management responsiveness (that is, every business). Hey, Big Spender! Where would the technology industry be without the financial services sector?
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