OIG Report: Blockchain Technology – Possibilities for the USPS

May 23, 2016 (RARC-WP-16-011) Blockchain technology is a new way to transfer any kind of data or information in a fast, tracked, and secure manner without need for an intermediary. Major companies, such as Citibank and Australia Post, are beginning to research and experiment with this technology in order to provide new and more efficient…

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Thinking about the future of the post office: An interview with Amanda Weaver

By Melody Kramer – April 26, 2016 Imagine receiving a text message every time a new letter was placed in your mailbox, or your city receiving a notification when there was a new pothole in your neighborhood — courtesy of a sensor that had been placed on your neighborhood mail truck. These are the types…

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APWU: Tell the Postmaster General to Make Postal Banking a Reality Now

Web News Article #: 218-2015 11/19/2015 – Did you know that nearly 28% of U.S. households are underserved by traditional banks? They turn instead to payday lenders, check cashers and other financial predators, spending on average nearly 10 percent of their income on fees. There is a simple solution: Postal Banking. The Campaign for Postal…

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USPS OIG: Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

RARC-WP-15-008 – 04/13/2015 We have all read the negative headlines of U.S. Postal Service’s looming financial demise. However, in its new paper, U.S. Postal Service Revenue: Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?, the OIG finds that the Postal Service may be turning a corner. An increase in parcel volume, significant cost reductions, and…

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Postal Service Keeps Spreading Its Losses – So what is the root of the trouble?

By Alan Daley and Steve Pociask – April 3, 2015 Many consumers like the United States Postal Service and can appreciate our local mail carriers. However, the Postal Service keeps attempting to shift its focus and is losing money in the process. The agency has lost over $50 billion in the last eight years, putting…

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Audio: Should the Postal Service go into banking?

By Emily Kopp – March 25, 2015 Consider this: Post offices sell money orders and conduct international transfers. Would it be such a big step to expand into the banking world via debit or prepaid cards? Postal Service Inspector General David Williams revived the debate during a discussion Wednesday at the Brookings Institution. As local…

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APWU Press Release: New Coalition, ‘Campaign for Postal Banking,’ Launches with Strong Support from Financial Reform Groups and Labor Unions

For Immediate Release 01/19/2015 – Expanding Low-Cost Financial Services through the United States Postal Service is a Way to Put More Money into the Pockets of Low-Wage Workers and to Provide Banking to Americans in Rural and Urban Areas with Few Banking Options United for a Fair Economy, One of the Coalition’s Founding Members, Releases…

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USPS OIG Solicitation: Strategies for Expanding Postal Financial Services

Solicitation Number: 6HQOIG-15-A-0009 Agency: United States Postal Service Office: Supplies and Services Purchasing Location: OIG Posted Date: November 4, 2014 1. Introduction The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) is awarding a contract to a Supplier who possesses specific subject matter expertise in consumer financial services, including products, regulation, market dynamics, operations,…

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