Credit rating agencies, currently under EU scrutiny, maintain that they need neither harmonisation of standards nor more rules – and the banking industry agrees. Sergio Beristain reports.

Massimo Arrighetti, head of retail at Italy’s Banca Intesa, talks to Stephen Timewell about the earthquake in his bank’s retail sector that has led not only to a radical rethink, but also to a step change in processes.
When Banco Ambrosiano Veneto, Cariplo and Banca Commerciale Italiana joined forces in late 2002 to form the largest bank in Italy, Banca Intesa, they also formed a bank with a staggering 1,500 different retail products.

Judith Hardt, secretary general, European Mortgage Federation explores the EU regulatory developments in covered bonds – past, present and future.

Maestro UK’s Roger Alexander explains to Stephen Timewell how, as e-commerce develops, banks can reposition themselves as authenticators via debit cards, and charge customers for the service.

Retail banks are realising that effective customer service centres are a business generation tool that they cannot do without. Yet a recent survey finds service quality has improved little, says Remus Brett.

Retail banks promised their customers multi-channel access to their accounts many years ago, so why has this not progressed beyond the preserve of the wealthy? Angus Hislop reports.

Baijayanta Chakrabarti and R Prabahar outline a four-phase, seven-step approach to help banks plan and implement their compliance with the Basel II Capital Accord.

Developing internal rating systems is a crucial first step towards mitigating credit risk under Basel II for many banks, writes H S Rajashekhar.

With banking regulation tightening and outsourcing increasing, Pradeep Godbole examines how institutions can keep their noses clean.

As financial services firms are bombarded by new regulations, they are being forced to change their methods of reporting. This is generating a massive shift in IT investment, says Anthony Gandy.