Article from FinanceTech describes the benefits that Banks really need, and that should come from SOA. The article is not too technical, and its something Banks really need to get handle on, to get out of the legacy system problem most have. In addition, its a way to get through merger amalgamations of technology.
Web services are gaining more attention thanks to growing interest in service-oriented architecture (SOA): a collection of self-contained services that communicate with each other and perform business processes through defined description languages or standards. This architectural strategy is a services layer, or interface, that enables companies to leverage data and transaction capabilities of existing systems across an enterprise. “Legacy systems are historically built to be batch-oriented,” says Prasad Kunchakarra, chief architect for consulting firm Primus Solutions (Clarksville, Md.). “As companies wrap [SOA-based] interfaces around legacy systems, they can remodernize their legacy systems” and allow users to access data on existing back ends with Web-based front ends.
Bankwatch 