Items include
industry update
Podcasts
Nov 30, 2023
We sit down with Stephen Dougherty of the US Secret Service to hear insights for preventing cyber attacks. Our discussion explores who is vulnerable and types of cybercrime, including BEC schemes, romance scams, work-from-home scams, deep fakes and more. Stephen also provides tips for preventing cybercrime, and reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement or relevant authorities.
Economic Indicators
Dec 14, 2022
As expected, the FOMC raised its benchmark rate by 50bp to a new range of 4.25%-4.50%. Further increases are expected in 2023 with the benchmark rate projected to rise to 5.10% while tapering off in 2024, 2025, and in the...
Apr 10, 2024
Once again, economic data is filled with sunshine, but general market sentiment continues to function as cloud cover. We discuss consumer sentiment, the housing market, and the general economy.
Apr 16, 2024
The OCC and FDIC have each proposed rules to enhance transparency around their processes of reviewing M&A transactions under the Bank Merger Act. We summarize the details of each agency’s proposal and provide resources to review and comment on the suggested changes.
Apr 8, 2024
The commercial real estate sector experienced significant headwinds during 2023. Fortunately, early signs suggest a more stable, and in some cases positive, market in 2024. We review the outlook for the industry and suggest ways in which CFIs can manage risk and continue to support their CRE customers.
Mar 27, 2024
Financial institutions dealt with economic uncertainty, higher interest rates, more expensive funding, lower loan demand, and concerns about credit quality in 2023. Yet they continued to grow loans overall. There are some indicators that the lending market could begin growing again. We discuss what factors would contribute to this change.
Mar 14, 2024
For banks, the big three issues for 2024 are deposit growth, customer acquisition, and digital enhancement. Those three are perennial list toppers. We discuss why that is and how 2024 will shape your approach to meeting those priorities.
Mar 11, 2024
Private equity firms and other private investors are showing more interest in CFI deals. We detail what CFIs should consider in the event a PE offer arrives and how to prepare if your CFI accepts a PE investment.
Mar 7, 2024
CFIs continue to dominate agricultural lending, but lending on the whole is down and unlikely to rebound in the immediate future. We discuss why CFIs should continue actively engaging with agricultural borrowers and what they should know about the trends facing this sector.
Feb 28, 2024
The decision to convert to a new core banking system is a monumental one. There are many reasons to make the leap so that your institution can continue to grow, though a “rip and replace” may not always be the right option. Determining whether an upgrade to your existing system could save you money, and may buy you time for even more evolved systems to come to market.
Feb 8, 2024
Every economic downturn creates both pain and opportunities. Rather than scaling back or doing nothing, CFIs should consider adopting strategies that will position them for growth when the economy inevitably recovers. We discuss five places to invest during a downturn that can provide you with good return on investment
Jan 24, 2024
Economists are predicting a downturn in consumer spending this year along with a slowing economy. We discuss strategies CFIs can use to prepare themselves and their small business customers for the impact.
Jan 18, 2024
Contrary to popular belief, the Global Financial Crisis in 2023 didn’t happen — and likely won’t happen in 2024. We detail topline reports summing up year-end data and share expectations for the market this year, particularly for the banking sector.
Jan 22, 2024
Bank Director’s 2024 Bank M&A Survey explores FIs’ attitudes towards M&A. Although enthusiasm for a deal is somewhat flat, stagnant earnings may motivate FIs’ management and their boards to partner with other institutions in search of low-cost deposits. We discuss possible M&A trends for this year.
Dec 29, 2023
In this final holiday reprint, we return to the topic of economy from this March 28 article: There are more ways than one to discern whether the US economy is in or headed for a recession. Instead of looking for the usual suspects, here are eight unconventional indicators that a recession is coming.
Dec 26, 2023
This week, we will revisit the top BIDs of the year as we say goodbye to 2023. Our first stop down memory lane brings us to this article from Feb 15: Americans are using cash less frequently and making payments more often by credit card or through payment apps. CFIs will need to provide both advanced digital capabilities and a willingness to handle cash banking as well.
Dec 5, 2023
Over the past year, the financial sector has had to navigate many disruptive forces. In two back-to-back articles, we look at the challenges faced by CFIs and the opportunities that have emerged during 2023. In this first article, we explore how CFIs have responded to economic uncertainty and inflation, intensified competition for deposits, and shaken consumer confidence in the banking industry.
Dec 6, 2023
In this second part of our review of 2023, we look at the challenges brought about by the evolving fintech landscape, the ever-increasing cybersecurity threats, and mounting regulatory complexity. We explore how CFIs have responded to these situations.
Nov 14, 2023
Bank bottom lines have started to slip. The challenge going forward is to maintain favorable results by actively managing risks. We unveil four threats to your profit in the current market and how they’re already impacting the banking industry.
Nov 9, 2023
CFIs face tough economic challenges led by rising interest rates. Finding a way forward may require strategic partners. We discuss M&A trends from 2023 and why consolidation might be a solution.
Oct 30, 2023
Checking accounts are long beyond their heyday, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t still hold value for CFIs. We review the decline of the physical check and the staying power of checking accounts — and how to keep them relevant to small and medium-sized business customers.
Oct 25, 2023
A successful transformation for any organization necessitates more than deciding that change is needed. CFIs should carefully think through long-term goals, make sure leadership has a shared vision, and allocate appropriate resources before setting out to make meaningful change within their institutions.
Oct 24, 2023
Increased competition from neobanks for small businesses and Gen Z customers, rising tech budgets, and emerging opportunities are just a few of the themes highlighted in Bank Director’s 2023 Technology Survey. We summarize some of the key findings and their relevance to CFIs.
Oct 18, 2023
The Fed wants to make sure that all banks are aware of how the Fed Discount Window works and what it can offer during a crisis. Many small banks had problems using the Discount Window during the recent cash crunch. We summarize the Fed’s new tips to ensure a smooth Fed Discount Window borrowing experience.
Oct 12, 2023
According to the latest Jack Henry survey, an increased focus on lending, faster payments, and small businesses are some of the ways in which FIs plan to adapt their services over the next two years. We highlight the key findings of this survey of banks and credit unions.
Oct 10, 2023
More than half of tech executives say the chip shortage should be over early next year; some say it has already waned. We review the microchip shortage’s impact on financial institutions and how quickly the changes are expected.
Oct 2, 2023
Economic predictions from the experts are all over the map, ranging from a soft landing to a recession to a boom in GDP. It all poses a difficult environment in which to plan for the near future.
Aug 22, 2023
Despite lower foot traffic since the pandemic, there is a renewed focus on branches as FIs find that customers still want human interaction for more complex operations. To complement the digital services they offer, CFIs should focus on transforming their branches from transaction-based sites to advice centers.
Aug 17, 2023
Attracting qualified candidates for your CFI may mean the need to revisit how your organization has traditionally approached recruitment. We dive into the benefits of looking for skilled talent outside the banking industry and how to draw those workers to your institution.
Aug 7, 2023
Colleges are often a key economic driver for their surrounding towns and cities because they attract spending power, encourage innovation, and drive demand. We explore these drivers and discuss some of the opportunities available for CFIs in college towns.
Jul 26, 2023
AI has become a major component of the banking industry and may well be a determinant for which banks succeed or fail. So far, US banks lead the way in the utilization and development of AI, driven primarily by a deep commitment to recruiting technology expertise and significant resources into research.
Jul 20, 2023
Amidst a handful of bank collapses and ongoing economic uncertainty, the Financial Stability Oversight Council has proposed rule changes that would make it easier to regulate and classify non-bank organizations as systemically risky.
Jul 19, 2023
Coastal Community Bank, a leading BaaS provider that works with Greenwood, Bluevine and Walmart's ONE, has introduced its own take on an interactive 3D financial world where consumers can play and sample fintech and neobank offerings.
Jul 18, 2023
According to the most recent banking survey from the National Federation of Independent Businesses, small organizations prefer to bank with small and regional banks. They also rank customer service as the most important factor when choosing a bank. We summarize the key findings and explore the opportunities for CFIs.
Jun 22, 2023
People are increasingly relying on digital payments in their daily lives, a reality that has not gone unnoticed by the world’s central banks, which are scrambling to develop their own digital currencies. While CBDCs remain a nascent currency, the one thing that is clear is that their development is inevitable. We provide a sample of recent global efforts.
May 24, 2023
ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence-backed apps have garnered a lot of attention for their ability to automate written communication, including thought leadership materials, marketing content, and even customer service interactions. They offer both potential and the possibility of potentially expensive problems. Here’s what CFIs should know about emerging AI programs.
May 18, 2023
Managing further economic downturns, liquidity, and cybersecurity are just a few of the many concerns at the forefront of bank leaders’ minds, according to Bank Director’s 2023 Risk Survey. We summarize some of the key findings and suggest ways for CFIs to mitigate the challenges.
May 9, 2023
Thefts of mailed checks have soared since the start of the pandemic as stimulus checks attracted crooks and accelerated check fraud schemes. We discuss why and what to look for to prevent mailed check theft from affecting your customers.
Apr 20, 2023
Technology is a major factor in the financial institutions that people choose. Remaining competitive requires knowing where your peers and competitors are investing on the tech front. We review the top digital priorities financial institutions have right now.
Apr 24, 2023
The financial industry’s largest players are gearing up to introduce a new digital wallet aimed at competing with behemoths like PayPal and Apple Pay. Though it is still unclear how everything will play out, CFIs should keep a close watch on what they are planning while continuing to focus on their own digital offerings.
Apr 14, 2023
CFIs are stepping up and filling the gap as larger players in the financial industry reduce their commercial real estate lending. Are the benefits of CRE lending worth the risks for CFIs?
Dec 5, 2022
According to an analysis done by the Financial Brand, half the banks that exist today will disappear during the next 20Ys, leaving fewer than 2K banks in the US by 2042. Small banks will be particularly hit hard. We discuss what CFIs can do to help ensure that they are among the ranks of the survivors.
Mar 16, 2023
Who says CFIs can’t innovate? We feature a number of very creative CFIs that are coming up with novel ways to serve their customers. Then we detail some pointers on how to best innovate in a safe and sound manner.
Sep 15, 2022
Top-performing financial institutions had higher expenses last year, but also higher revenues and profit, as well as more loan growth. While their frugal peers may have been better at holding down costs, the higher performers got more bang for their buck.
Jun 21, 2022
The outlook for office loans is less than rosy. The US is set to have a glut of office space for a number of reasons, not the least of which is increased utilization of remote workers. For CFIs starting to experience stress in their office loan portfolio, we share several ways to mitigate potential problems.
Jul 25, 2022
As mortgage foreclosures begin to inch up and federal foreclosure moratoriums draw to a close, financial institutions should prepare themselves for a worst-case scenario. It’s unlikely that the bursting of the current real estate bubble will play out the way things did when the last couple of real estate bubbles burst. Should a worst-case scenario emerge, CFIs should be prepared to show regulators they took adequate precautions.
Aug 9, 2022
Small business owners are more pessimistic about the economy than they have been in nearly half a century, according to a new survey. But they remain somewhat optimistic about their own future. In this muddied outlook, CFIs need to move cautiously in how they work with small business borrowers.
Aug 19, 2022
With one-third of the country unable to secure traditional lending, some employers have begun adding loans for employees with adequate income but low credit scores to their benefit offerings. This allows employees to borrow funds and rebuild credit responsibly, while avoiding fees from siphoning off retirement savings.
Aug 29, 2022
The US housing market has been red-hot for a good while. However, overvalued home prices, rising interest rates, and the growing number of home purchases by private equity firms mean that, for many financial institutions, the traditional mortgage business is shrinking. CFIs that want to compete in this space should market specifically to traditional homebuyers, and all CFIs should be aware of how this will impact the makeup of the communities they serve.
Mar 29, 2023
After a dearth of M&A deals within the financial services sector last year, what will 2023 activity look like? We provide six tips on how institutions can both successfully strike a deal and then see it through.
Feb 14, 2023
Attracting Generation Z customers requires a thorough understanding of the unique needs and challenges of this group, as well as the ability to demonstrate such knowledge in ways that will resonate.
Oct 20, 2022
Between inflation and higher interest rates, businesses need to charge more for goods and services, while also worrying that they’ll lose price-sensitive customers. As a result, CFIs are likely to see increased credit stress soon. We discuss six strategies CFIs can use to manage credit risk challenges in a volatile environment.
Feb 15, 2023
Americans are using cash less frequently and making payments more often by credit card or through payment apps. Yet, many CFI customers still like having cash as an option. To compete with fintechs in a future where less cash changes hands, CFIs will need to provide both advanced digital capabilities and a willingness to handle cash banking as well.
Sep 19, 2022
An Iowa credit union has filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple over features built into its phones that limit the payment options people can use outside of Apple Pay. We detail how the lawsuit could impact other big tech companies entering the payment space and the overall banking industry.
Oct 28, 2022
The European Payments Initiative is moving forward and is poised to change the global banking landscape if it is successful. We discuss what those changes look like and how they could affect US financial institutions.
Nov 8, 2022
Understanding why paper checks are still a popular way of paying business invoices can help CFIs assist their customers in making the transition to electronic payments. We discuss the reasons businesses still use paper checks for B2B payments and the benefits of switching to EFT.
Mar 28, 2023
There are more ways than one to discern whether the US economy is in or headed for a recession. Instead of looking for the usual suspects, here are eight unconventional indicators that a recession is coming.
Mar 24, 2023
Helping business clients of every size is at the core of CFIs and their missions. CFIs have a little-known tool that can help their SMB clients: the employee retention credit (ERC). We break down what this refundable tax credit is, who may qualify, and how it can help your customers.
Jul 13, 2022
The FDIC recently published its 2022 Risk Review. We summarize some of the report highlights relating to market, operational, and climate-related risks emerging within the banking industry, and discuss their potential impact on community financial institutions.
Oct 3, 2022
As the amount of online fraud continues to rise, there is mounting evidence that information-sharing initiatives around the world could provide a glimpse into the future of how financial institutions can most effectively identify and combat cybersecurity attacks.
Jan 23, 2023
Some CFIs are finding that rising interest rates are causing their current calculated asset levels to show up as negative under the tangible capital rule used by Federal Home Loan Bank. Financial organizations across the country are asking for relief.
Jan 20, 2023
The federal government is investing more than $8.28B in community development financial institutions and minority depository institutions through the Emergency Capital Investment Program. See how your CDFI or MDI can benefit before the application deadline Jan. 31.
Jan 4, 2023
Global open banking activity is predicted to reach $124B by 2031. From enhanced security to meeting customer desires, there is no shortage of reasons why US financial institutions should embrace it.
Oct 17, 2022
Underappreciated or undiscovered industry or customer niches can be areas of expansion for CFIs. Here are two banks that are hoping to grow by responding and catering to the specific business needs in their own communities.
Aug 10, 2022
The Federal Reserve has revealed the final timeline for its ISO 20022 standards, a new global messaging standard for financial transactions, which will now be implemented on a single day. As countries around the world embrace the protocol, cryptocurrencies are among some of the earliest adopters. We provide info on compliance deadlines and what steps your CFI may need to take to stay competitive.
Jul 20, 2022
In this second part of our summary of the FDIC 2022 Risk Review, we take a closer look at the FDIC’s findings on potential credit risks for the banking industry and community financial institutions. While credit conditions for banks have improved in 2021, we examine the increased credit risk in certain sectors and markets linked to pandemic-related challenges, rising inflation and the war in Ukraine.