Featuring: Guillermo Kopp, Executive Director, Global Research Fellow

Moderator: Ralph Silva, Research Director, European Banking & Payments

Summary: This week’s TowerGroup View is dedicated to upcoming financial services regulations. We discuss with Guillermo Kopp various aspects of regulations the industry is expecting to see over the next year or so. Guillermo outlines the disruption that IT department will have to plan for, the introduction of transparency for regulators and the geographic differences banks can expect. Guillermo also discusses the opportunities new regulations will present vendors and banks alike.

Featuring: Rodney Nelsestuen, Senior Research Director, Financial Strategies and Financial Investments

Moderator: Ralph Silva, Research Director, European Banking & Payments

Summary: The week ending May 15 was yet another time of considerable turmoil in our industry. The stress tests announced the previous week were further clarified, and IT and operations departments have started to come to grips with their responsibilities. Bank of America announced that it is abandoning its investment in Citic Bank, and ING reported problems with restructuring, putting into question the viability of the shared services model in a tumultuous period. Also, the British Treasury committee has reported that most stakeholders failed to live up to their responsibilities throughout this crisis. The result will likely be a raft of new regulations.

The focus this week is on the US stress tests and how they affect IT and operations departments. We've heard what the outcome means to a bank"s strategy, but in this podcast, Rod Nelsestuen will help us understand what it means to the operations departments of tier 1 banks and explain how vendors can find opportunities in this period of change.