Put Alternative Financial Services on a Level Playing Field

G. Michael Flores Responds to Tescher Op Ed in American Banker – (July 9, 2012)  –  American Banker recently ran a thought provoking column by Jennifer Tescher, president and chief executive of the Center for Financial Services Innovation, in which she reflected upon the takeaways from the recent Underbanked Financial Services Forum in San Francisco. …

Based upon my 30-plus years of experience in financial services, I believe Tescher is right on a number of observations including the fact that “the ‘underbanked’ language is hindering the industry’s ability to paint an accurate picture of the market opportunity and the range of potential solutions.”  The problem is that the traditional banking model is perceived as the gold standard thereby any departure from that structure is considered inferior. Given the potential for innovation and technological advances in the financial services market, I would argue that a new paradigm is warranted.

To read more:

Flores’ Report:  “Serving Consumers’ Needs for Loans in the 21^st Century,”