• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

3

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

3

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
CommentaryFinance

It’s Time to Finally Let Walmart Open its Own Bank

By
Lawrence J. White
Lawrence J. White
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lawrence J. White
Lawrence J. White
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 9, 2017, 9:50 AM ET
Photographed by Getty Images

On a day in which many eyes were on Former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday quietly passed the Financial CHOICE Act, which is the Republicans’ proposed revision of the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 and reform of financial regulation. It will next go to the Senate, which will surely get more attention as Senators on both sides consider major alterations to the CHOICE Act.

Although the CHOICE Act’s tagline reads, “Opportunity for All, Bailouts for None,” there is a large elephant that isn’t in the room when financial regulation is being discussed—but really should be: Walmart.

Starting in the mid 1990s, Walmart made two separate efforts to enter banking in the U.S., but legislators and regulators kept the door closed. After its second effort was rebuffed in 2007, Walmart gave up in the U.S., but has subsequently provided consumer-banking services in Canada and Mexico.

As the Senate begins its consideration of the CHOICE Act, there is a prime opportunity for lawmakers to revisit the question of allowing commercial firms—such as Walmart—to enter banking. Why?

U.S. economic policy has long held dear the notion of encouraging new business and innovations so that the benefits of entry into the marketplace can be enjoyed by consumers. Of course, American policy treats banking as special. And reconciling the specialness of banking and the presence of Walmart in banking is necessary.

We expect banks to be operated in a safe-and-sound manner, such that the likelihood that they would fail—and cause losses to their creditor-depositors (or to the deposit insurer that backs them)—should be quite small. And the system of prudential regulation for banks is a reflection of that expectation. So, how would a Walmart Bank fit into prudential regulation?

The crucial concept is that the Walmart Bank must be organized as a separate subsidiary of the parent Walmart; the latter would become a “bank holding company” (BHC). The Walmart Bank subsidiary would be expected to abide by all prudential regulations that apply to banks.

It makes good policy sense for the Walmart Bank to be a subsidiary. Bank regulators’ prudential tasks would be much harder if they had to assess the overall financial health of the Walmart company and its extensive retail operations alongside its banking activities, rather than focusing specifically on the financial services operations of the bank subsidiary.

Current U.S. banking policy has much of this story right. But where policy has gone wrong is the insistence that a bank holding company cannot be engaged in “commerce”—i.e., in non-financial services activities. This restriction was first embodied in 1956 legislation and remains established policy for banking in 2017. Its persistence is more a testament to the lobbying strength of incumbent bankers than to any concern about the economic welfare of consumers.

However, it’s equally important to consider the potential benefits from Walmart’s entry into banking: The retailer is well known for providing reasonably priced goods to low- and moderate-income households.

These households would also be ready recipients of reasonably priced financial services. The percentage of U.S. households that are unbanked (do not have a bank account) or underbanked (have an account but rely on non-bank providers for some financial services/products) has been a longstanding policy concern. Seven percent of all households were unbanked and an additional 20% of all households were underbanked, according to the most recent FDIC data for 2015. The percentages are substantially larger for low- and moderate-income households. Further, since 2009, the percentage of unbanked households has declined only modestly, while the percentage of underbanked households has actually increased.

Given Walmart’s general business strategy, the establishment of a “Walmart Bank” would likely lead it to extend more financial services to Walmart’s primary clientele—and thus make an appreciable dent in those percentages.

Financial reform advocates should see the benefits of a wider provision of banking services to businesses and to consumers from the elimination of this commerce-finance restriction. This would be a direct way to bring real financial benefits to low- and moderate-income households without any taxpayer subsidies.

A revisiting of the commerce-finance restriction should be on the agenda when the Senate begins its consideration of the Financial CHOICE Act if they truly want to make good on the Act’s promise of growth and opportunity for all.

Lawrence J. White is a professor of economics at the NYU Stern School of Business and an editor of Regulating Wall Street: CHOICE Act vs. Dodd-Frank, a recently published collection of essays.

 

About the Author
By Lawrence J. White
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

Elon Musk sits with his fists together, looking up.
Commentaryspace
SpaceX will be worth trillions, but the space station that made it possible is worth even more — if we don’t squander it
By Tejpaul BhatiaMay 20, 2026
8 hours ago
trader
CommentarySoftware
The 50-year-old law that governed every software company just broke. Here’s what replaces it
By Martin Casado and Abhishek NagarajMay 20, 2026
16 hours ago
FJ Campbell, MD, is chief medical officer at Ardent Health.
CommentaryHealth
A doctor shortage is coming. AI could be the only realistic fix
By FJ CampbellMay 20, 2026
18 hours ago
trump
CommentaryCongress
Milken-Harris Poll: 80% of Americans want AI workforce programs now — and Washington hasn’t delivered
By Karen Kornbluh and Libby RodneyMay 20, 2026
19 hours ago
‘Change the World’ idealism is dying in Silicon Valley. We’ll miss it when it’s gone
CommentarySilicon Valley
‘Change the World’ idealism is dying in Silicon Valley. We’ll miss it when it’s gone
By Jonathan WeberMay 19, 2026
2 days ago
reorgs
CommentaryRestructuring
We found the real reason 70% of transformations fail
By Julia Dhar, Kristy R. Ellmer and Philip JamesonMay 19, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
1 day ago
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
Success
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
14 hours ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
4 days ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
8 days ago
Dr. Bernice King on why companies that walked back DEI were never truly committed: 'If you retreat that quick…that reveals who you really are'
Workplace Culture
Dr. Bernice King on why companies that walked back DEI were never truly committed: 'If you retreat that quick…that reveals who you really are'
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
1 day ago
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
Travel & Leisure
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
By Rio Yamat and The Associated PressMay 18, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.