Javelin | Will The FFIEC Mandate Change Identity Fraud?


 This is a great question asked at Javelin.  The issue is the Regulatory bodies push for two factor authentication, and what impact that will have on phishing, and identity theft. Its a good question, because its inherently wrong for a regulatory body to define a solution (two factor) when in fact what they mean is “solve identity theft”.  Of course that would be too broad, but that is the real question. Its worth noting that FFIEC were deliberately open about the solution, mentioning the inadequacy of single factor, but its largely banks’ interpretation of the rules that landed us on two … Continue reading Javelin | Will The FFIEC Mandate Change Identity Fraud?

TheStar.com – RBC computer woes spark lawsuit totalling 1 billion dollars


 Based on the Royal Bank of Canada computer outage for a few days in June 2004 and customers were unable to access their money. The program helped just 2,276 of the 2.5 million affected customers – the numbers haven’t been contested, the justice said in his ruling.  Lead plaintiff Nicole Bergeron is seeking the payment of charges plus $200 for inconvenience and $200 in damages for each affected customer. Source: TheStar.com – RBC computer woes spark lawsuit Here is a story I captured at the time.  It was not entirely clear the extent of the issue, but as a minimum, it … Continue reading TheStar.com – RBC computer woes spark lawsuit totalling 1 billion dollars

Windows Vista Widget | Mortgage rates


 This is cool.  People have built widgets for Vista already.  Widgets are small tools that run in the new Windows that’s coming shortly, and its cool to see a Banking application included. Kudos to Riverside Bank. This Widget provides current mortgage rate information at Riverside Bank of Florida. Source: Yahoo! Widget Gallery     Technorati tags: windows+vista, widgets Continue reading Windows Vista Widget | Mortgage rates

Continuously Bridging the Gap Between Business and IT


James is at the the Delphi Business & Process Innovation Summit.  The conference themes sound more interesting than usual.  This from the “Continuously Bridging the Gap Between Business and IT” session. 

This set of guidelines stands us all well when we are into a requirements session.  Invariably someone has developed a business need … it can be ourselves … stop, take a step back and consider these elements. 

Learning’s from the project:

  • Try and abstract a more general problem/solution before building a specific one for a specific problem
  • Focus on business operations not on the flow of a specific object flowing through a process. This means modeling transitions between activities and interactions between participants
  • Find the “push/pull” point between top-down BPM drivers and bottom-up technology drivers
  • Various kinds of processes – flow(sequential), connected (one connects to the next), disconnected (gaps), jumbled (all mixed up) – and need to understand the kind of process to model and manage them correctly. You can manage at a higher level for coherent processes (and must do so at a lower level for more jumbled ones)
  • Need to consider content / data as well as process flow
  • Phased approach with quick hits
  • Question official procedures as may not be what really happens * Align process and IT architectures

Source: James Taylor’s Decision Management – ebizQ

Other links from the conference below: Continue reading “Continuously Bridging the Gap Between Business and IT”

BankNet 360 – Computer Glitch Reeks Havoc on HBOS Mortgage Accounts


When we develop requirements for our technology projects at the Bank, we always cry for more, at less cost.  That’s not a bad thing, but it has to be done intelligently, with some appreciation for the results.    Approximately 7,000 customers of the Bank of Scotland, which is part of HBOS, reported seeing additional monthly mortgage payments taken from their accounts this month. Source: BankNet 360 – Computer Glitch Reeks Havoc on HBOS Mortgage Accounts Recently we have been uncovering many situations where quite frankly I shouldn’t need to know this, but as the conversation goes this is what gets … Continue reading BankNet 360 – Computer Glitch Reeks Havoc on HBOS Mortgage Accounts

Bank of America | The meaning of scale


 BofA reported net income in the third quarter of 2006 rose 41 percent to US$5.42 billion from US$3.84 billion.  But the real message in this press release, is the sheer scale.  Their customer base is double the size of Canada, and similar to the total population of the UK. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 55 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 5,700 retail banking offices, nearly 17,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 20 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration … Continue reading Bank of America | The meaning of scale

Pardon me while I speak rubbish!


 George highlights a new book that sounds very relevant. The book, “Why business people speak like idiots.”  This quote of Russ Klein of Burger King, is the perfect example.  ‘Turning your brand over to the consumer enables social connectivity as a means of empowerment.’ Source: Pardon me while I speak rubbish!   Technorati tags: presentations, powerpoint Continue reading Pardon me while I speak rubbish!

First Data to offer Interac services in Canada in 2007 – AllPayNews


 First Data International will compete fully with Moneris in Canada with addition of debit to their arsenal.  This is a big deal in Canada, which has largely gone cashless, preferring debit and credit. First Data International, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment services, today announced it has become a member of the Interac Association. First Data will begin offering INTERAC services to the Canadian marketplace in the second quarter of 2007. Source: First Data to offer Interac services in Canada in 2007 – AllPayNews: Payment and fraud news, blog, jobs and discussions   Technorati tags: payments, interac, debit, … Continue reading First Data to offer Interac services in Canada in 2007 – AllPayNews

Hit and run


This is totally off topic, but I read it here.  Nick happens to be the creator of Feeddemon one of the most popular RSS news readers, and one I have used extensively.  Its the story of him and his son being involved in a hit and run, and the subsequent minutes and hours.  Its quite gripping, and it happened yesterday. Thankfully both are ok.   Technorati tags: blogging Continue reading Hit and run

Micro Persuasion: Watch Out Startups, Ad Spending is Falling and So is Your Sky


Significant shifts are occurring in the advertising space. If anyone still doubts that traditional marketing is in state of crisis, read on.  Its not as simple as a shift from TV ads to Internet ads. Actual dollars spent on advertising this year was sharply lower than the original estimates. This according to an analysis by Blackfriars Communications. Worse, the same story is true online. Source: Micro Persuasion: Watch Out Startups, Ad Spending is Falling and So is Your Sky The key stat:  …..  advertising spending fell to $218 billion this year, of which $38 billion was online advertising And it gets worse … Continue reading Micro Persuasion: Watch Out Startups, Ad Spending is Falling and So is Your Sky