U.S. banks are seeking renewed stability in the wake of post-crisis changes-aggressive regulation and legislation, consolidation, and changing consumer attitudes and behaviors towards money.

Economic development in Africa, one of the world's fastest-growing emerging markets, continues to rely on a strong banking sector. To provide economy-boosting financial services and infrastructure more effectively in Africa, major banks are now actively investigating how best to expand their footprint there.

As bank brands become increasingly commoditized and competition grows more intense, customer loyalty has all but vanished. In this environment of complex imperatives, understanding the factors that drive loyalty, and managing these factors successfully, is critical to staying relevant, competitive and profitable.

Over the past few years Brazil has experienced the benefits of economic stability and growth, prompting the migration of almost 30 million people to the middle class and a new level of purchasing power. However, Brazil's strong domestic demand leaves many investors wondering: Has the country come too far too fast? In this podcast, Standard & Poor's credit analyst Milena Zaniboni discusses Brazil's rapid growth surge and explains why we expect banks to deal effectively with any looming risks.

Most banks in Asia-Pacific are unlikely to face significant difficulty complying with Basel III's higher capitalization requirements in 2013, according to a recent Standard & Poor's report. But some may struggle more than others. In this podcast, Standard & Poor's Managing Director Naoko Nemoto explains why most Asia-Pacific banks are likely to meet the requirements while some may have difficulty.

U.S. policymakers continue their discussion about whether to raise America's debt ceiling above its current level of $14.3 trillion. Standard & Poor's has observed that any failure to raise the debt ceiling would cause significant and long-lasting financial and economic disruptions. In this CreditMatters TV interview, Paul Coughlin, Standard & Poor's executive managing director, discusses our views on the potential impact on the U.S. economy and the financial markets if the debt cap issue is not resolved in a timely manner.