Banks recognize the critical importance of online solutions for their business clients. These solutions range from sophisticated corporate banking portals to simplified small business online banking products. Third-party solution providers offer robust packaged applications designed to support the full range of online cash management needs across product sets and customer segments. This Research Note discusses how the cash needs of middle-market commercial clients differ from those of small business clients and whether a single online cash management solution can meet the needs of both, an increasingly important question as banks seek to rationalize their technology spending.

Consumers are shifting from spenders to savers amid the all-time low interest rate environment. Financial services institutions need to be better prepared to deal with consumer price sensitivity on both the deposit and lending sides of the business to rebuild their damaged balance sheets and move toward financial recovery. This TowerGroup ViewPoint discusses how the reinvented more sophisticated forms of pricing management such as price optimization and profit-based pricing can help FSIs adjust to the new economy. The ViewPoint recommends that lenders make better use of data and analytics to offer the right product and price for each customer segment.

High mortgage default levels, home price depreciation, weak employment, and regulatory pressure are driving demand for credit and collateral risk management systems. CCRM systems are platforms that integrate credit and property risk assessment with multiple credit and collateral data sources and analytic systems. This TowerGroup technology trends Research Note provides an overview of the CCRM technology and vendor landscape. It defines the CCRM category characteristics, summarizes leading vendors, and forecasts CCRM IT so that financial services institutions (FSIs) can more effectively decide whether to build or buy CCRM systems and differentiate the basic capabilities of each vendor.

During the past decade, the electronification of business-to-business (B2B) transactions progressed steadily. Two primary areas targeted for further B2B electronification are the obvious ones of payments and invoices. In order to create an end-to-end process covering purchase orders, invoices, payments, remittance information, data matching, and general ledger posting, financial service institutions (FSIs) as well as other industry vendors have recently been promoting B2B payment networks. This TowerGroup Research Note discusses the evolution of B2B payment portals, their current state, and the potential end game for the market anticipated by TowerGroup.

The year 2009 saw the first open public demonstration of risks facing the financial services industry as global regulators required stress testing to a specific set of economic inputs. Standard scenarios driven by regulators are insufficient to any given firm, though. Leading FSIs are establishing or expanding their capabilities for stress testing and weaving it into the fabric of their business decision making. Global differences in stress testing requirements increase the likelihood that test results in one part of the industry will lack coordination with test results in other parts, begging the question of whether anyone has a clear view of systemic risks.

In July 2009, Bank of America indicated plans to close approximately 10% of its branches because of customers' preference for self-service channels. The strategy is at odds with that of other banks such as KeyBank, TD Bank, U.S. Bank, and JPMorgan Chase, which continue to invest in, if not expand, their branch networks. This TowerGroup ViewPoint considers the future of these competing approaches and predicts a third option, a separation between suppliers and retailers, will emerge as a powerful alternative to the traditional branch structure. The ViewPoint explores these alternatives in light of the impact on the branch of changing regulations, demographics, behaviors, and technology.

This TowerGroup Research Note considers the top 10 business drivers, strategic responses, and technology initiatives that firms engaged in payments in Europe should be addressing in 2010. It complements the global focus of the other TowerGroup payment services lines, namely, Global Payments and Bank Cards as well as the payment elements within Wholesale Banking. TowerGroup explains why the drivers feature on the list and analyzes the key issues and implications, emphasizing those that have changed most in the previous year. The report then highlights the series of strategic responses and technology initiatives that banks need to set in train to address these issues.

This Research Note identifies the top 10 issues that the European retail banking industry at large will face over the coming year. The list of the top 10 business drivers, strategic responses, and technology initiatives is a result of the collaborative insight that TowerGroup has gained through the research and advisory work it does across the European retail banking value chain. TowerGroup has a privileged position, working with key players in every part of the value chain from banks to processors and from vendors to outsourcers. Through ongoing discussions, TowerGroup distills the themes found in this document and seeks to answer the question "So what should my business do?"

This Research Note presents TowerGroup's fourth annual analysis and prediction of the key challenges and opportunities facing the wholesale banking industry. In this report, TowerGroup identifies the top 10 business drivers that we believe will have the greatest impact on wholesale banking in 2010, and we identify and analyze the top 10 strategic responses and technology initiatives we believe successful institutions will put in place in order to maximize the opportunities for 2010 and beyond.

The economic recession has curtailed investment in mobile banking and payments solutions in the United States. Financial services executives sense the intrinsic value of mobile, but TowerGroup believes most will proceed cautiously as the market demand for mobile commerce continues to evolve and the technology solutions become more mature. This Research Note provides TowerGroup's insights on what lies ahead in 2010 in the consumer market for mobile banking and payments by identifying the 10 most important business drivers for the industry and defining the essential strategic responses and technology priorities.