Featured
July 06, 2017
Financial Institutions Alert
After President Donald Trump issued a long list of potential regulation roll backs, top U.S. Bank Regulators appear to have thrown their support behind the President.
July 06, 2017
Financial Institutions Alert
The Treasury Department released a report recently on banking regulations which appears to have struck a chord with Democrats and Republicans alike.
June 21, 2017
Financial Institutions Alert
Remote Deposit Capture was launched by USAA in 2006 in order to allow users to scan checks remotely and transmit the scanned images and ACH-data to financial institutions for posting and clearing.
June 21, 2017
Financial Institutions Alert
Community bank risk managers should start to worry about the negative effects of retailers' commercial real estate.
June 15, 2017
Financial Institutions Alert
For the first time in a while, community bankers heard something new: The Federal Reserve has stuck to its forecast of rate hikes for 2017 with another quarter point increase in the key short-term interest rate.
May 16, 2017
Financial Institutions Alert
When President Trump speaks, we listen. Or at least we will hear about it on the news, online or through our networks.
March 14, 2017
Financial Institutions Alert
Paramount to community financial institutions and their executive management teams is the time and cost burden associated with regulatory compliance. Will the new Presidential administration impact your communicate institution?
March 01, 2017
Financial Institutions Alert
On March 1, 2017, requirements to significantly enhance cybersecurity programs will take effect.
August 16, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
As everyone in the financial institution industry is knee-deep in its analysis of the new Current Expected Credit Loss ("CECL") model guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") in June 2016, the questions on every financial institution's finance team are: "What model should I use?" and "What data do I need?"
August 09, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
A potential convergence of multiple negative trends in the commercial real estate market could create added volatility as slowing growth in China, depressed oil prices and debt maturities threaten to reduce U.S. commercial real estate prices by as much as five percent during the next year.
August 02, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
The results of the recent American Banker/Reputation Institute Survey of Bank Reputations showed that in the reputation rankings of banks �large, regional and nontraditional- large banks come in third place in the overall rankings.
July 19, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
At a time where costs are rising and margin pressure continues to grow, certain institutions consistently perform above the rest. These top performers have specific common characteristics that drive their success. All of these common characteristics relate to the leadership and culture that management creates within the institution.
July 12, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
A recent FICO survey revealed that 29 percent of millennials will move their money out of a financial institution that has experienced a fraudulent incident. This percentage was higher than older generations.
July 05, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
As with most industries, advancements in technology and consumer habits have been changing the landscape in which financial institutions engage and provide services to their customers.
June 28, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
As employment growth rises and the economy appears to be back on track, Janet Yellen, Federal Reserve Chair, continues to see interest rate hikes coming in 2016.
June 20, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
The day of reckoning for financial institutions is upon us. On Friday, June 16, 2016, the FASB issued the most substantial change to financial institution accounting in many years
May 31, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
I came across this article with real-life examples a day before seeing Eastern Bank's retiring CEO appear in a TV commercial about the impact of data breaches and identity theft on community banks and their customers.
May 24, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
Regulatory agencies have clarified the expectations for the use of evaluations instead of appraisals to estimate a property's market value for certain real estate related transactions.
May 17, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
The FDIC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (together referred to as "the Agencies") have issued a Financial Institution Letter discussing the "Volcker Rule" under the Dodd-Frank Act.
May 10, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
As community bankers to find the most effective and efficient way to communicate with and attract Millennial customers today and in the future, social media continues to forge to the forefront.
May 03, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") is considering a new loan-loss reserve model, which would require banks to set up an allowance for estimated losses at loan origination instead of when default is considered probable.
April 19, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
It's amazing that our nation is still talking about this issue post Dodd-Frank, but it's front-and-center in the fight for the democratic presidential nomination with Bernie vowing to come down hard on Wall Street, and Hillary defending her acceptance of campaign contributions.
April 12, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
As we continue to see increased focus and closings of commercial real estate ("CRE") loans in an attempt to increase yields within the financial institution industry, what will be the fallout from the regulators?
April 05, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
Community Banks can benefit from a strategy typically associated with large international entities. Best Shared Service Centers are being used by effective management teams who can problem solve their way to higher profits.
March 29, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
In an age of increasing focus and scrutiny on cyber security, personal information security and overall information technology security within the financial institutions industry, any measure that can provide assurance to an institution's customer is priceless.
March 22, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
Banks merging is not a new concept. However, the economy, regulations and technology surrounding the banks of today have many new concepts. As a result, banks that once fought the idea of giving up their independence, have found they must adapt and change in order to continue.
March 15, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
It has become tougher than ever for community banks to raise capital. Collateralized Debt Obligations ("CDO's") are a new option that would allow community and regional banks to work together to raise capital at a low cost.
March 08, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
Regulatory oversight certainly has its place, but examinations can be burdensome to many institutions, particularly small, well capitalized and well managed ones.
March 01, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
Every Company and Institution around the globe has consultants that are hired to provide "independent" advice and meetings full of "yes" men.
February 23, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
Banks today appear to be under siege from new technology, nonbanks offering lending products and the unbundling of banking services. Ultimately these nonbank singular service line businesses get hit with losses, lack liquidity to continue to grow, get acquired by big banks or begin to diversify into other banking products (i.e. deposits).
February 16, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
As community institutions push for increases in CRE lending in an attempt to obtain higher yields, the risk management practices associated with a CRE portfolio come into focus.
February 09, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
Interest rates are the topic of the times including whether they are going to rise, fall or remain the same. Subsequent to the rate hike on December 16, 2015, the S&P 500 has fallen approximately 9.5% including a substantial decline in oil prices (16%).
February 02, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's ("FDIC") Board of Directors has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("NPR") to revise the NPR previously issued in June 2015 in order to address the deposit insurance assessment system applicable to institutions with less than $10 billion in assets.
January 26, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
We continue to hear the impending doom that is the CECL Impairment Model and how it will impact financial institutions
January 21, 2016
Financial Institutions Alert
Millennials have been raised in an environment of instant gratification and their expectations are no different in the financial services sector.
