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Banking and Financial Services

Banks and financial service providers often seek expert guidance on regulatory compliance, ethics, insurance liability, and investment safety. RAND's commitment to objective, nonpartisan analysis has helped us to forge ongoing partnerships with national and international institutions to explore policy questions that affect infrastructure, safety, investment, compliance, and ethical aspects of the banking and financial services industries.

Report
Effective Disclosures in Financial Decisionmaking
Financial service providers often have better information about their wares than consumers. Disclosure is a policy tool designed to address this by giving consumers valuable information. But it may not provide enough support in helping them make more informed decisions.
Oct 12, 2015
Report
Do Financial Advisers Influence Savings Behavior?
Financial advisers can play an important role with helping individuals make better financial decisions and improving their financial situations. But does working with a financial adviser improve savings behavior, particularly saving for retirement?
Oct 8, 2015
Report
Financial Advice Markets: A Cross-Country Comparison
This review compares financial advice markets in a cross-section of countries where regulatory changes aimed at improving the quality of financial advice have recently been made, to determine how such changes have affected them.
Oct 8, 2015
Testimony
A Survey of Terrorist Financing: Addendum
Document submitted on June 12, 2015 as an addendum to testimony presented before the House Financial Services Committee, Task Force to Investigate Terrorist Financing on April 22, 2015.
Jun 15, 2015
Report
Potential Economic Effects on Individual Retirement Account Markets and Investors of DOL's Proposed Rule Concerning the Definition of a 'Fiduciary'
This paper examines the potential effects of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration's proposed rule 29 CFR Part 2510, Definition of the Term "Fiduciary" on people with Individual Retirement Accounts.
Apr 28, 2015
Testimony
Breaking the Bank: Undermining Terrorist Financing
Undermining the financing of terrorist groups must be done as part of a broader effort to undermine terrorist ideology. Policies should focus on the most significant threats to the United States and utilize tools that target the ways these groups finance themselves.
Apr 22, 2015
Report
Defense Working Capital Fund Pricing in the Defense Finance and Accounting Service: A Useful, but Limited, Tool
RAND researchers consider the advantages and disadvantages of funding the Defense Finance and Accounting Service through a Defense Working Capital Fund versus using direct appropriations.
Feb 16, 2015
Commentary
After a Year of Major Hacks, 2015 Resolutions to Bolster Cyber Security
With numerous data breaches and emerging software vulnerabilities, 2014 was the year the hack went viral. But realizing a few New Year's resolutions in 2015 could help defenders make strides in protection, tools, and techniques to gain the edge over cyber attackers in years to come.
Dec 31, 2014
Commentary
Preventing Cyber Attacks: Sharing Information About Tor
While Tor has many benefits, it is also used to hide criminal activity online such as the recent cyber attacks against JPMorgan Chase and Sony Pictures. The U.S. government should share the IP addresses of Tor network nodes with U.S. critical infrastructure and financial firms so that future cyber attacks could be prevented.
Dec 17, 2014
Infographic
Money Under the Mattress? New Findings Show Growing Rates of Unbanked Americans
The data from a survey by RAND's American Life Panel suggests that the percentage of American households with no savings or checking bank accounts is increasing.
May 15, 2014
Report
Distributing Noncontributory Pension Benefits by Debit Card in Mexico: A Pilot Test
This report describes a pilot test of debit-card disbursal of pensions in Yucatan, Mexico, and explores the results from several surveys of the pilot group.
May 6, 2014
News Release
Both Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting Contribute to Systemic Risk in the Financial Sector
Although fair value accounting was blamed by some as the primary cause of the 2008 financial crisis, this was probably not the case. Nevertheless, policymakers should be aware that both fair value and historical cost accounting sometimes can produce misleading information, resulting in both institutional and systemic risk.
Oct 9, 2013
Report
Both Fair Value and Historical Cost Accounting Contribute to Systemic Risk in the Financial Sector
Although fair value accounting was blamed by some as the primary cause of the 2008 financial crisis, this was probably not the case. Nevertheless, policymakers should be aware that both fair value and historical cost accounting sometimes can produce misleading information, resulting in both institutional and systemic risk.
Oct 9, 2013
Research Brief
Systemic Risk in the Financial Sector: The Role of Fair Value Accounting Versus Historical Cost Accounting
Examines the relationship between fair value accounting and historical cost accounting and systemic risk to the financial system, including the role that accounting approaches played in the 2008 and earlier financial crises.
Oct 9, 2013
Multimedia
RAND Behavioral Finance Forum 2013: Improving Consumer Well-Being through Behavioral Finance
Video compilation of the 2013 Behavioral Finance (BeFi) Forum in Washington, D.C., a day-long event that included a series of topical panels on curated presentations of academic research followed by discussion by leading practitioners.
Aug 26, 2013
Report
Hedge Funds, Systemic Risk, and Dodd-Frank: The Road Ahead
These proceedings summarize the key themes and issues raised during a September 2012 RAND symposium. Discussion focused on how hedge funds might contribute to systemic risk and the extent to which recent financial reforms address these risks.
Jun 12, 2013
Commentary
The Real Cyber Threat
The fact is that the United States needs to gear up for the coming era of cyber threats — and start by ensuring its financial flank is not catastrophically compromised, writes Mark Sparkman.
May 21, 2013
Report
Regulatory cultures and research governance
This is a comparative study of the practice of those who are subject to regulatory requirements in the health research, medical drugs, environmental and financial sectors conducted to assist understanding of health research governance in the UK.
Mar 1, 2013
Report
Hedge Funds Not a Primary Cause of the Financial Crisis, but Could Contribute to Systemic Risk
Hedge funds did not play a pivotal role in the financial crisis compared to other agents, such as credit rating agencies, mortgage lenders, and issuers of credit default swaps. However, hedge funds do have the potential to contribute to disruptions of the U.S. financial system.
Sep 19, 2012
Research Brief
Do Hedge Funds Pose a Systemic Risk to the Economy?
RAND research finds that hedge funds did not play a pivotal role in the financial crisis of 2007-2008 but assesses how such funds could contribute to systemic risk in the future.
Sep 19, 2012

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RAND Topic:
Banking and Financial Services

Topic Synonyms:
Bank Solvency;
Banks

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