This Month in Banking

Since 1800 America at 250, and the Story of the Nation's Oldest Community Bank As America marks its 250th anniversary, This Month in Banking looks back at how banking grew up alongside the country — through the eyes of the institution that has been there for nearly all of it. Our guest is Ned Handy, Chairman and CEO of The Washington Trust Company, recognized as the oldest community bank in the na...

Keeping Deposits Home Tokenized Deposits, the BankChain Alliance, and the Case for Banks Owning the Rails Last month on This Month in Banking, Alice Frazier, President & CEO of Potomac Bank and ICBA Chair, walked us through what the GENIUS and CLARITY Acts could mean for community bank deposits as stablecoins move into the mainstream. This month we pick up right where that conversation left off —...

On this episode of This Month in Banking , we welcome Alice Frazier, President & CEO of Potomac Bank and ICBA Chair , for a timely discussion on what the GENIUS and CLARITY Acts could mean for community banks. The conversation moves beyond the traditional cryptocurrency debate and focuses instead on the practical banking implications of stablecoins, digital wallets, payment-focused digital currenc...

In this episode of  This Month in Banking , presented by Wolf & Company , we sit down with Wade Johnson, CEO of Durden Banking Company , to discuss how a community bank has achieved standout performance in two metrics that matter deeply in today's banking environment: efficiency ratio and cost of funds. Wade shares his journey from growing up in rural Georgia to leading the bank as CEO, while prov...

In this episode of This Month in Banking , presented by Wolf & Company , we're joined by Tara Brady , Senior Vice President & Chief Experience Officer at Provident Bank , to explore how customer experience is evolving into a core strategic driver of growth and differentiation . Tara shares how her role connects across the organization—from frontline delivery to executive decision‑making—and why cu...

In this episode of This Month in Banking , presented by Wolf & Company , we're joined by Ed Barry , CEO of Capital Bancorp , to explore how one community bank built a distinctive growth model by expanding into specialized, nontraditional lines of business . Since joining in 2012, Ed has led Capital Bank's transformation from a $300 million institution into a $3.5 billion diversified platform spann...

In this episode of This Month in Banking , presented by Wolf & Company , we explore how financial institutions are moving beyond AI experimentation and toward practical, enterprise‑ready adoption . Host Tara Ween is joined by John Kowal , Senior Vice President, Managing Director & Chief Technology Officer at Peapack Private Bank & Trust , along with Wolf & Company experts Jeff Marsico and Nelson O...

In this episode of This Month in Banking , we're joined by Matt Burke , Chairman & CEO of Mutual Bancorp , the mutual holding company for Cape Cod Five, Fidelity Bank, and soon Bluestone Bank. Matt brings a front‑line perspective on how community banks can rethink growth in today's challenging environment—where deposit behavior, technology expectations, and consolidation pressures are reshaping th...

In this episode of This Month in Banking , the team explores what happens when fintech meets community banking. Guest Emmett Shipman, Fintech Strategy & Growth Senior Manager at Wolf & Company, joins the conversation to discuss evolving fintech–bank partnerships, the shift from efficiency to reinvention, and how community banks can strategically position themselves for a digital future. The discus...

TKG Joins The Pack - Wolf x TKG Hosts - Jeff Marsico, Principal, Wolf & Company, P.C.         Scott Baranowski, Principal, Wolf & Company, P.C.

Bank Strategy:  Community vs. National Banks Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guests - Andrew Baker, Chief Strategy Officer, F&M Bank

Bank M&A Today and Outlook for 2026 Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Robert Kafafian, Chairman & CEO, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Dave Danielson, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc.

Improving Shareholder Liquidity in Community Banks Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guests - Matt Schultheis, Founder of BankVault Research

Scaling a Community Bank: Tech, Team, and Deposits Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guests - Brant Ward, President, Signature Bank of Arkansas

Shareholder Succession Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Richard Trauger, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guests - Pete Scully, President, My Private Shares Andrew Rietz, Managing Director of Financial Institutions, My Private Shares

Banking on Insight: Inflation, Risk & the Road Ahead Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guests - Tommy Esposito, Vice President, Strategic Resource Allocation, Kaufman Hall Dorothy Jaworski, Retired SVP & Treasurer, Penn Community Bank

Bank Stocks & Beyond: Gerard Cassidy's Forecast Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Robert Kafafian, Chairman & CEO, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guest - Gerard Cassidy, Managing Director, Co-Head of Global Financials Research and Large Cap Bank Analyst, RBC Capital Markets

Navigating the AI Revolution: A Community Bank Perspective Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guest - Andy Schornack, President, Security Bank & Trust Co.

Bank Transformation Unpacked: The Newtek Story Continues Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guest - Barry Sloane, Chairman & CEO, Newtek Bank

Cannabis Banking in 2025 Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guest - Michael Beird, Author of Cannabis Banking

Crypto, Fintech, and other Non-Interest Income Drivers in 2025 Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guest - Matt West, Chief Executive Officer, Xenios

Big Picture: The Future of Community Financial Institutions Hosts - Tara Wean, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guest - Nathan Stovall, Director of the Financial Institutions Research Team, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Potential Changes in Bank Regulation under the Trump Administration Hosts - Sharon Lorman, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guest - Anne Balcer, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief of Government Relations and Public Policy for the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA)

Stratum, New Technology That Will Revolutionize Banking! Hosts - Sharon Lorman, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guest - Clay Adams, President and CEO, Mascoma Bank

Use Cases of Generative AI – What are the Risks? Hosts - Sharon Lorman, Vice President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Jeff Marsico, President, The Kafafian Group, Inc.         Ben Crowley, Managing Director, The Kafafian Group, Inc. Guests - Chris Clements, VP of Solutions Architecture, CISO Global         Tigran Safari, Solutions Architect and Client Experience Manager, CISO Global