Items include
- 2 Whitepapers
- 2 Webinars
- 104 BID Newsletters
small business
Whitepapers
May 22, 2024
Recognizing the increasing importance of global transactions, this paper provides six strategies and actionable takeaways to help nurture the international growth of your small business customers.
Sep 21, 2020
Cross-border payments are changing and business owners expect to transfer money quickly. Swift GPI allows community financial institutions to meet their customers’ needs and generate additional fee income for their institution.
Webinars
Jun 20, 2017
Are you currently providing international services for your customers? The global market is growing and with small businesses making up 97% of all exporters, your customers will be growing too. Knowing how to support your business customers will deepen long-term customer relationships with an enhanced suite of services.
Sep 20, 2018
As your customers expand their businesses across borders, they need to know that your financial institution can provide international services like foreign wires or check clearing. You easily can with PCBB as a partner. Join us for a complimentary 30-minute webinar where we will discuss the benefits of using international services.
May 15, 2025
Restaurants can have slim profit margins and short lifespans, but they’re often important parts of communities and CFI lending portfolios. We explain how CFIs can be smart lenders to restaurant owners.
May 5, 2025
More CFIs are turning to niche markets like HOAs, area professionals, and small businesses to build deeper relationships and corner local markets amid economic uncertainty.
Apr 22, 2025
As tariffs and potential tariffs alter international trade and supply chain costs, small businesses are bracing for impact. We discuss how to help SMBs weather these higher costs with long-term planning.
Apr 16, 2025
As many small business owners near retirement, they’re likely pondering their business’ next chapter. We discuss common options for business owners, succession planning necessities, and your CFI’s role.
Apr 9, 2025
The SBA’s recently launched Made in America Manufacturing Initiative aims to boost business and hiring among US small manufacturers. We detail how the initiative can help your small manufacturing customers access capital.
Mar 18, 2025
Around 35% of SMBs are considering changing banking relationships. Before you court them, your acquisition strategy should consider their reasons for switching and ensure you don’t repeat the mistakes of their previous financial institution.
Feb 27, 2025
With the Federal Reserve holding rates steady, SMBs continue to face high borrowing costs and tight lending standards that limit access to traditional financing. We discuss how CFIs can offer tailored solutions.
Feb 10, 2025
As the payments space rapidly evolves, CFIs have a significant opportunity to strengthen their relationships with SMB customers by offering integrated, secure, and cost-effective payment solutions that go beyond basic processing.
Feb 6, 2025
Struggling small businesses are increasingly turning to credit cards to help pay operating costs. CFIs can help by offering debt counseling and innovative small business lending products. We discuss strategies.
Jan 15, 2025
The FDIC’s 2024 Small Business Lending Survey reaffirms the importance of relationship-driven lending for CFIs.
Jan 2, 2025
Following tradition, we're taking a look back at your favorite articles from this year as we BID adieu to 2024. In one of our final articles in this series, we reflect on the financial services small businesses value. BAI surveyed 600 small business owners to find out their banking preferences and what they want most from their financial institutions. Take these insights to heart to attract and retain more of them.
Dec 11, 2024
Seasonal winter businesses have unique risks. We discuss CFIs’ opportunities to support them with personalized advice and tailored banking services.
Dec 4, 2024
Tax season is a time when CFIs can build and deepen relationships with customers by understanding their needs and matching them with the right guidance and financing.
Oct 31, 2024
SMB lending fraud is on the rise. We discuss recent survey results on trends and provide steps CFIs can take to help keep this type of fraud in check.
Oct 15, 2024
BAI recently hosted a webinar featuring insights on current trends and projections for small business deposit growth. We look at some of the key information from the webinar.
Oct 2, 2024
Small business owners may be warming to digital banking, but for the foreseeable future, they still want branches and a banker they can trust.
Sep 12, 2024
BAI surveyed 600 small business owners to find out their banking preferences and what they want most from their financial institutions. Take these insights to heart to attract and retain more of them.
Oct 21, 2022
Organizations with fewer than 100 people account for 22% of all fraud cases and a median loss of $150K. Preventing financial fraud is easier when small business owners and employees know how to spot signs of trouble. CFIs can help their commercial customers by educating them about fraud — we provide several fraud-prevention steps for you to share.
Aug 27, 2024
Top CFI lenders actively help their small business customers and borrowers navigate headwinds. We explore successful lending strategies from several CFIs and highlight the importance of giving business customers advice.
Aug 1, 2024
Small businesses are struggling to access capital, despite strong demand. The SBA just launched the Working Capital Pilot Program, in the hopes of bridging the gap.
Jul 3, 2024
Increasing business ownership among minority groups results in greater opportunities for wealth, productivity, and job creation within their communities. We explore ways you can better support these businesses.
Jun 12, 2024
As online commerce continues expanding for small businesses, so does the revenue potential for CFIs that process foreign transactions. We provide strategies to educate your SMB customers about going international.
May 2, 2024
Over 40% of business owners consider themselves financially illiterate. CFIs have an important role to play in boosting financial literacy among their business customers. By providing educational resources, expert advice, and financial tools, they can support business customers in building more sustainable businesses while also strengthening their relationships.
Apr 23, 2024
For small business customers, waiting for payments can take a while — often at least 30 days. Checks and invoices get lost or go to spam folders and vendors charge fees to transfer funds. Doing more to remove these pain points can help strengthen existing relationships and allow your small business clients to have better cash management. We discuss ways to help small business customers get paid quickly and easily.
Apr 24, 2024
CFIs looking to grow their business may want to focus on the growing needs of small- and medium-sized businesses that are also looking to scale. We spotlight three financial institutions that are doing just that.
Apr 17, 2024
Taylor Swift’s popularity extends well beyond her Eras Tour, with her fans providing a boost to businesses that don’t even have a direct connection to the tour. The benefit to small businesses could also spill over to their community bankers.
Apr 15, 2024
We talk about the need for CFIs to have a quality digital onboarding process. But what exactly makes an onboarding process convenient, and how does it impact the overall customer experience? We explain the qualities a CFI needs in its onboarding process to compete successfully for new customers and keep existing ones.
Apr 9, 2024
Taking a more hands-on approach to educating organizations within your community on securing funding — even when it is from outside avenues, such as federal grants — can help CFIs strengthen ties to their communities and foster goodwill that can pay off down the road.
Mar 26, 2024
Small business customers have no shortage of financial service options, from traditional banks to fintech offerings. Fostering loyalty among this group not only requires providing them with added value, but with the sense that your CFI understands their individual businesses and their unique needs.
Mar 21, 2024
Providing added value for business customers can be as simple as sharing existing resources within your organization such as conference room space or wi-fi. We discuss some options of nontraditional benefits you can provide to help your small business customers.
Mar 13, 2024
The gig economy is a fast-growing sector that CFIs cannot afford to ignore. We discuss some of the primary ways in which institutions can ensure they meet the needs of these self-employed customers.
Mar 4, 2024
Compliance under Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act will likely pose the biggest burdens on the smallest institutions subject to the new rule. While there are still efforts to block it, the compliance deadline is quickly approaching. We delve into what you should know to start compliance efforts before the regulations take effect.
Jan 23, 2024
A new study from Capgemini shows that business customers are increasingly in need of help with cash management. We discuss the biggest cash flow challenges for businesses and what solutions CFIs can offer those customers.
Feb 15, 2024
As expectations for personalized financial services grow, CFIs have an opportunity to peg relevant messaging to life and business events. Institutions can use starting key milestone triggers for marketing activity in near real time. We review some examples of what major triggers could be for both consumers and business customers as well as what types of products and services to market to that customer in response.
Feb 14, 2024
Although the Fed has kept interest rates steady since mid-2023 and may cut them sometime this year, they’re still the highest they’ve been in many years, and they continue to impact small businesses across all industries. We discuss three ways in which CFIs can support their small business customers as they navigate the high interest rate environment.
Feb 1, 2024
According to a new NFIB survey, pessimism prevails among small business owners. We discuss the challenges that small businesses noted in the survey and the potential impact on CFIs.
Jan 25, 2024
More and more CFIs are courting nonprofits as customers, offering loans and other products and services. We discuss some of the unique financial needs of nonprofits and provide examples of how some CFIs are working with these customers.
Jan 8, 2024
Business banking is most CFIs’ bread and butter. But many businesses have more than one banking relationship. To become a customer’s primary provider, CFIs will have to develop the ability to provide full cash visibility, multibank reporting, and multibank transactions.
Dec 13, 2023
Business customers are switching financial institutions for a variety of reasons, but the new FI may end up being the same as the old FI — or worse. We detail the pros and cons that business customers weigh when they consider a switch — and what your CFI can do to make sure you’re the winner on either side of the equation.
Nov 29, 2023
A challenging economy hasn’t deterred startups, which continue to be formed at record rates. As CFIs seek to identify the most promising startups seeking lending, there a few key things they should be looking for.
Nov 28, 2023
When one thinks of open banking and third-party APIs, one tends to think of all the benefits for consumers. But CFIs could also leverage the technologies to better serve their small- and medium-sized business customers. We explore the possibilities of open banking, including what the financial sector in Europe has achieved so far.
Oct 17, 2023
When we think about credit card rates and perks, we tend to think of retail consumers, but credit cards are a vital tool for small businesses as well. We review the benefits of business credit cards and how those benefits can be used to entice businesses to apply.
Oct 11, 2023
Virtual account management technology solutions can help financial institutions speed up the process of opening business accounts, which can ordinarily take weeks. We review how CFIs can help their customers with these solutions.
Oct 3, 2023
Behavioral economics, the study of how we make decisions, is used by many FIs in various ways. We look at three areas of your business where understanding behavioral economics can help you better serve your customers.
Sep 18, 2023
Private equity firms are actively targeting the lending market for small and midsize businesses, and they have deep pockets to use in their pursuit. In order to remain competitive, CFIs must focus on and highlight their expertise in this area.
Sep 13, 2023
Some of your commercial customers may struggle to manage their expenses and other bookkeeping duties, but you can help them with these tasks and offer more value. We highlight three examples of how some FIs are doing just that.
Aug 28, 2023
As financial institutions seek to enhance relationships with business clients and increase revenue generated among this group, one area they should focus on is stepping up the analytical tools they provide. We discuss areas CFIs should focus on to level up their account reporting capabilities.
Aug 16, 2023
Are you a new lender who needs to build your base of potential clients? Networking at local events or on social media can be daunting, but there are ways to make it less so — and even fun and satisfying in the process.
Aug 15, 2023
With many small businesses looking to improve their ESG credentials, CFIs have an opportunity to position themselves as a trusted sustainability partner by offering financing, tools and expertise. At the same time, they can boost their ability to attract and retain small business customers. We detail five ways CFIs can accomplish both goals.
Aug 10, 2023
Sole proprietorships are the fastest-growing demographic in new business startups. They represent an area of opportunity for CFIs willing to tailor service offerings and dedicate staff to micro companies, yielding strong banking relationships that can grow with these tiny businesses.
Aug 9, 2023
More and more CFIs are using alternative cash flow data to determine the creditworthiness of prospective small business borrowers. They are partnering with fintechs and other nonbank providers to access and analyze prospects’ electronic cash flow information. A nonprofit research organization analyzed these practices and we provide a summary of the results.
Aug 3, 2023
The CFPB has finalized a data collection rule for lenders that extend credit to small businesses. The regulations aim to find patterns in small business lending that enhance CRA initiatives and make lending practices more equitable. However, trade groups like the ICBA and the CUNA have concerns that the additional burdens of compliance could impede CFIs’ ability to make as many loans as they do. We explain what CFIs should be aware of as this issue unfolds.
Jul 25, 2023
For small businesses that don’t need a loan, mobile banking is one of the most valuable tools a CFI can provide. It lets customers bank where they want, whenever they want. In addition to providing customer convenience, mobile banking can also help your institution to increase loans and deposits, and sell other business services.
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.
Jul 11, 2023
Small businesses form the backbone of not only the US economy but the client lists of many CFIs. But almost a third don’t think their banking institutions understand their needs. We look at some ways financial institutions can better support small businesses throughout their growth lifecycle.
Jun 20, 2023
The volatility of the foreign exchange rate market can be challenging on your small business customers that do business internationally. We explore FX forward contracts as an option you can offer to provide more certainty in this area, thereby increasing customer loyalty.
Jun 2, 2021
The pandemic caused many things — a coin shortage was one of them. The residual effects of this shortage are still felt even today. We update you on what the Fed is doing, why coins are still important (even in this increasingly cashless economy), who loses out in a cashless society, and how community financial institutions can help their small business customers adapt.
Mar 15, 2022
Ninety-five percent of text messages are read within three minutes. With consumers’ reliance on texting, it is no wonder that the latest payment option, text-to-pay, is gaining momentum. It gives users the ability to pay through a link on a text easily and quickly. Let’s see why your small business customers may start finding it attractive.
Feb 6, 2018
The path to positive consideration under CRA may not be clear for many community bankers. We provide some helpful hints.
Dec 8, 2022
Baby boomers are retiring at a rate of 10K per day, and along with those retirements will be a wave of small businesses passing on to younger generations. CFIs should identify small business customers likely to be impacted by baby boomer retirements and preemptively take steps to ensure those businesses will remain with their organizations long after their current owners have left the workforce.
Sep 13, 2022
Every CFI wants to attract new customers, and many have a marketing plan in place to help them accomplish this. The only problem is that CFIs don’t need just one marketing plan. They need multiple marketing plans to help them attract the different demographics within their customer bases. We explain how to develop customer segments and market to each one.
Sep 14, 2022
Financial institutions enjoyed client deposit surges through the end of last year, but extreme rate hikes from the Fed may change that. As CFIs feel pressure to raise their rates on deposits to keep customers, it’s important to consider what other strategies CFIs can deploy to retain deposit levels and client relationships.
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.
Sep 22, 2022
Digitization is a critical component in CFIs’ efforts to remain competitive with fintechs and their largest peers, but the personalization of smaller banks is their most valuable asset. We explore how to reconcile these seemingly competing forces to achieve a digital experience that works for your customers and your CFI.
Sep 21, 2022
Universal retirement benefit plans are on the horizon for many states in the US, with proposed congressional legislation meaning potentially big changes for small business customers. CFIs can aid those small business customers with preemptive educational offerings to help prepare them for what’s to come.
Oct 18, 2022
The US dollar is at parity with the euro for the first time in 20Ys, and up against numerous other foreign currencies. That’s not necessarily a good thing for companies that do business overseas. American goods are more expensive, and the dollar’s strength deflates the value of funds earned overseas. We discuss ways you can support your commercial customers who have international business ventures.
Jun 23, 2022
There are 32.5MM small businesses in the US, generating 44% of economic activity — an attractive opportunity for financial service providers of all sizes. CFIs have a strong connection with small business customers and could leverage their understanding of the customers’ unique needs in order to create compelling propositions for them. We give you four strategies to help get you off to a good start.
Aug 24, 2022
In the competitive small business lending market, a clear understanding of business owner needs can go a long way to drive an institution’s loan portfolio growth. Gaining that edge takes hard work and sophisticated data mining. Here are four steps to make your SME loan strategy more holistic, ultimately resulting in increased revenue.
Apr 7, 2022
The Small Business Administration provided $85MM in microloans to 5,890 people in 2020. Many community financial institutions assisted in that business as intermediaries. These loans help startups and smaller businesses that might not be eligible for traditional loans. Are they worthwhile for your institution? We explore this lending sector.
Sep 9, 2019
Small businesses are at the forefront of international trade. We provide tips to ensure they come to you for international services.
Mar 7, 2023
Small businesses have been at the heart of the post-pandemic economic recovery, but high inflation and hiring challenges are contributing to a negative outlook for them. By rethinking the lending process, CFIs can support SMBs through these tough times, while also increasing their own revenue opportunities, cutting the cost to serve, and minimizing risk. We explore how.
Jun 30, 2022
Demand for commercial lending is heating up. CFIs have an opportunity to expand into new markets, add talented lenders, launch new niches, and team up for bigger deals – all while maintaining stellar credit quality. We delve into the details.
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.
Nov 9, 2022
CFIs say their top strategic goal is growing loans. They also say they plan to increase tech spending. Targeting more of that increased tech spending on products demanded by small businesses can help advance loan growth.
Nov 22, 2022
Borrowing a page from the Paycheck Protection Program, some banks have begun offering microloans to early-stage businesses based on their gross income. We consider the pluses and minuses of this underwriting method.
Sep 16, 2021
With the economy slowly recovering, bankers wonder when loan growth will return. With the continuing uncertainties of the Delta variant, labor constraints, and supply issues, significant challenges remain. However, there are some bright spots. We highlight three important lending areas: mortgage lending, CRE, and small business.
Apr 27, 2018
Small businesses have been seeing business conditions improve according to a NFIB survey. How your bank can leverage these findings.
Jan 26, 2018
A new survey by the FDIC shows community banks support businesses with both flexibility and rigor. How does your bank compare?
Jan 16, 2018
82% of community banks currently offer small-dollar unsecured loans according to the Fed. Is this still a good idea?
Jan 11, 2018
Facebook emerges as a new competitor for banks as it partners with Clearbanc. What community banks should know.
Dec 29, 2017
An Aite Group study finds different small business sizes approach loans in different ways. Does your bank need to change its lending tactics in light of this?
Oct 30, 2017
Aite Group finds different small business sizes approach loans in different ways. What your bank should know.
Dec 1, 2021
The pace of bank M&A this year has been high with 19 deals worth almost $12.5B in September alone. Community banks have been on both sides of the table in M&A activity this year. Here are the latest bank merger numbers along with some of the reasons to merge and the results of this continuing consolidation of community banks.
Feb 2, 2018
More community banks are recognizing their small business customers' good works, which can provide them with reciprocal rewards. What some of your peers are doing.
Jan 23, 2018
Women are becoming more influential in business. They also control more than half of personal wealth in America, so are a growing client segment. Key opportunities abound for wealth management and small business loans.
Nov 30, 2022
Embedded banking allows CFIs to provide financial products and services through non-bank, third-party partners such as retailers and service providers. In this second part of our embedded banking series, we explore ideas of how CFIs might partner with non-bank organizations to offer embedded banking services. We also address some of the legal, compliance and technology challenges associated with launching embedded banking.
Oct 18, 2021
Small businesses are busy overseas. They are looking for more opportunities to not only grow, but sometimes survive. Last year’s e-commerce boom made international business even easier for many businesses. Small business international wire transfers increased to 17% last year from 10% in 2019. Is your institution supporting its customers with international payment solutions? If not, the competition will.
Nov 22, 2021
The pandemic threw a major curveball at everyone, especially small businesses. Many changed gears and moved to an e-commerce model, which helped them survive. With fewer geographic barriers, global payments soared and the value of global digital payments is expected to increase 22% YoY in 2021. Here are three ways that community financial institutions can help their customers continue to thrive with global payments.
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.
Nov 15, 2022
Businesses and consumers prefer the convenience of electronic payment methods. So, an electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) platform is helpful for CFIs to retain customers, compete for new clients, and stay viable. Not all EBPP platforms are alike, so we discuss how to choose the one that benefits your institution the most.
Nov 23, 2022
The pandemic caused many smaller companies to adopt digital technologies that expanded their ability to reach customers across the US and in other nations. Many of the companies say that cross-border commerce is a way to grow businesses and keep up with the competition. As a result, CFIs with international payment solutions may have opportunities to strengthen relationships, add new customers, and grow fee income.
Apr 10, 2023
Many small businesses that use a small financial institution for their needs typically do not pay for non-interest-bearing banking services. This is not the case for larger financial institutions. How can CFIs create offerings that business clients will buy? We discuss 4 key areas to pay attention to.
Mar 23, 2023
Small businesses are increasingly doing business across international borders, and in need of international banking support. We discuss how CFIs can best serve their customers’ cross-border banking needs and stay ahead of the competition.
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.
Mar 15, 2023
Using sophisticated digital solutions, alternative lenders are gaining small business customers, sometimes at the expense of CFIs. Here are some tips to help CFIs look for signs of defection and respond.
Mar 13, 2023
As economists warn that recession is inevitable, CFIs should actively take steps to best prepare themselves and their customers to weather a significant economic downturn.
Nov 28, 2022
As SMEs seek to attract and retain employees by offering enhanced benefits such as 401(k) plans, financial institutions predict major growth in this business line. Some CFIs have already begun partnering with retirement service providers to put together affordable and streamlined offerings.
Nov 2, 2022
Money management and forecasting are top concerns for small businesses. CFIs can help small business customers deal with those issues by offering regular feedback and suggestions for improvement, thus helping avert more serious problems later.
Apr 8, 2022
Around $90B was withdrawn from over 200K independent ATMs across the country in 2020. As financial institutions continue to merge, close branches, and remove ATMs, these independent ATMs, found in convenience stores among others, are a lifeline to many consumers where banks have closed branches. They are also a revenue generator for many small businesses. Is this an opportunity for community financial institutions?
Oct 26, 2021
There has been a 25% increase in the number of startups last year compared to 2019. With increasing confidence as the economy picks up, these new businesses will need more capital. Even though lending levels are still low, now is the time to consider the criteria for lending to entrepreneurs when they come knocking. Here are six criteria to look for in these startups to translate into serious lending business.
Nov 20, 2017
Could asking more questions help bankers get more business? What one recent case study shows.
Oct 8, 2019
A number of surveys provide insight into the confidence of small businesses. We give you a summary.
Feb 22, 2018
Do your small business customers want to use a remote deposit check service? A recent survey says they might.