Top Story

• Banks ask for more time to comply with qualified-mortgage rule
  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to released its qualified-mortgage rule Thursday, sources say. Seven banks have asked for a year to comply with the new rules so mortgage lending is not disrupted. Bloomberg (1/7)     

Retail Banking Roundup

• Banks plan new branches in South Florida
  Several bank branches are planned for Miami-Dade County in Florida. TD Bank and Wells Fargo have filed plans with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to open locations. Mercantil Commercebank also plans a branch in the area. American City Business Journals/South Florida (1/4)     

Industry News

• Commentary: Be cautious when charging for convenience
  Consumers increasingly want convenience in their banking services, but banks must tread carefully when charging fees, writes Brad Anderson, a partner at Armada Consulting. "[O]ur own preferences as consumers can help shape the products offered at financial institutions," but it will be "increasingly important to understand the economics of those products and services to price them appropriately," he writes. AmericanBanker.com (free registration)/BankThink blog (1/3)     

Legislative Affairs

• House committee wants more information on $10B settlement
  The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform says it wants to review a settlement between regulators and 14 banks concerning improper foreclosure practices that is expected to be announced as soon as today. The committee wants more information on how the $10 billion settlement amount was reached. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.)/The Associated Press (1/5), The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (1/6), The Hill/On the Money blog (1/5)     

• Frank eyes Kerry's Senate seat
  If Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., is confirmed as U.S. secretary of State, former Rep. Barney Frank says he would like to be appointed to take over Kerry's vacated Senate seat on an interim basis in February, March and April. They "are going to be among the most important months in American financial history" because of fiscal negotiations, he says. The Huffington Post (1/4)     

• Heller and Coburn will take banking panel seats
  New Senate banking committee members include Sens. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla. Heller received campaign support from the Friends of Traditional Banking superPAC, which was established by bankers. AmericanBanker.com (free registration) (1/4)     

The Future of Money

• Online video series promotes Capital One mobile banking
  Capital One launched an online video series aimed at showing users how fast and easy it is to use mobile banking. Four videos are aimed at different demographics and are part of the "Do what you do while mobile banking" campaign. MobileCommerceDaily.com (1/4)     

• "A la carte" options let bank clients customize accounts
  In what some see as a trend, some banks have begun offering checking accounts that allow customers to tailor the services they receive to fit their needs. Customers choose to pay small fees for services they want to use. Union Bank, for example, offers several add-ons to accounts, such as unlimited checks or safe-deposit boxes. Some analysts say this approach could bring in more customers, particularly younger people. The Wall Street Journal (1/3)     

People and Personalities

• Citi's Corbat reportedly working on relationship with regulators
  Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat is forging relationships with regulators in his first months as the bank's leader, sources said. "I think that is smart and another positive sign about Citi's new leadership," said Sheila Bair, former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. chairwoman. Reuters (1/6)     

Career Development

• Get personal to engage your team
  John Bossong writes that when his 17-year-old daughter picked up her first paycheck, she found that her boss had added a brief handwritten note welcoming her and encouraging her to give her all. That simple act showed the boss' commitment to achieving a "higher purpose" and keeping workers motivated and engaged, Bossong writes. "If you want a team that is unified and aligned, make leadership personal," he writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (1/3)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by CBA SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Wise words: 10 things managers must say (Intuit Small Business Blog)

• House approves Senate budget compromise (Bloomberg)

• CBA Auto Chair Paul Wible offers insight on auto financing (InsuranceQuotes.com)

• CFPB rules and enforcement expected to heat up in 2013 (AmericanBanker.com (free registration))

• OCC downgrades JPMorgan community-lending practices (The Wall Street Journal)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

CBA Connect

SmartQuote

If money be not thy servant, it will be thy master. The covetous man cannot so properly be said to possess wealth, as that may be said to possess him." --Francis Bacon, British author and statesman