Travillian Next

Scott Hildenbrand, Head of Depository Fixed Income at Piper Sandler, joins Travillian Next for a conversation on balance sheet strategy and the forces shaping banking in 2026. In this episode, Travillian’s Brian Love and Andrew Liesch sit down with Hildenbrand to discuss what he’s hearing in bank boardrooms across the country. From the disconnect between bank earnings and valuations to execution s...

Community banks widely recognize the value of diversity in the boardroom, yet many institutions still rely on the same limited recruiting networks when searching for new directors. On the latest episode of Travillian Next, Amber Buker, Chief Research Officer at Travillian, sits down with Jennifer Docherty, Senior FIG & Capital Markets Strategist at Performance Trust Capital Partners and Co-Fou...

Community banks are rethinking compensation as competition for top producers intensifies. In this episode of Travillian Next, Brian Love of Travillian and incentive strategist Mike Higgins discuss how banks are moving beyond subjective year-end bonus structures and toward performance-driven incentive plans. They explore the “Bank of One” model, the importance of linking pay to profitability, and w...

Keith Daly , Principal of Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian , sits down with Chuck Nabhan , Managing Director and Equity Research Analyst at Stephens , to unpack fintech valuations, AI disruption, and the regulatory “moat” protecting core banking technology. Drawing on nearly two decades of equity research, Nabhan breaks down why AI hype is distorting fintech valuations, which parts of th...

Dimitar Karaivanov, President & CEO of Community Bank System, and C.K. Lee, President & CEO of InterBank, discuss how Wall Street experience translates into community banking leadership. As community banks face rising complexity, tighter margins, and heightened expectations from boards and regulators, leadership backgrounds are evolving. Karaivanov and Lee share how bank strategy, talent d...

Pathward President Anthony Sharett joins Travillian Next host Amber Buker to share how a culture-first talent strategy is driving innovation, employee engagement, and financial inclusion. The conversation explores Pathward’s “talent anywhere” approach, curiosity-driven hiring, and how strong culture and regulatory discipline work together to prepare for 2030. Timestamps: 00:00 – The journey from l...

Community banks are no longer on the sidelines of digital assets. Keith Daly of Travillian speaks with Caitlin Long, Founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, and Shawn Main of Vantage Bank Texas about how tokenized deposits, stablecoins, and interoperable payment rails are becoming real banking infrastructure. They break down the GENIUS Act, atomic settlement, and a new bank-led consortium designed to gi...

Succession planning is one of the most important decisions a bank will ever make. In this episode, Starion Bank CEO Craig Larson and President Dave Rogstad join Brian Love, Head of Banking & Fintech at Travillian, to share the real story behind Starion’s leadership transition. What began as a national executive search revealed that the bank’s next president had been developing internally all a...

2025 was a rollercoaster year for community banks navigating the talent market. Early optimism gave way to hesitation as uncertainty, M&A activity, and competitive pressure reshaped hiring decisions across the industry. As the year came to a close, momentum began to return. In this year-end conversation, Travillian reflects on what the past year revealed about community bank talent strategy an...

Bank M&A isn’t about speed anymore. It’s about preparation. In this episode of the Travillian Next podcast, investment bankers from Janney Montgomery Scott and D.A. Davidson break down how bank M&A has become a long game shaped by diligence, culture, regulation, and timing. Travillian’s Brian Love and Andrew Liesch sit down with Dan Flaherty (Janney) and Gene Katz (D.A. Davidson) to discus...

Consumers are shifting from traditional search engines to AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, which is fundamentally changing how financial products appear and get evaluated. Amber Buker , Chief Research Officer at  Travillian , reconnects with  Alana Levine , Chief Revenue Officer at  Fintel Connect , to explore one of the biggest shifts uncovered in Fintel Connect’s annual survey: the rise of cons...

Hosted by  Keith Daly , Principal, Banking & Fintech Search at  Travillian , this strategic conversation features  Nikhil Lakhanpal , Co-founder of  Narmi , and  Chris Tremont , Chief Digital Officer at  Grasshopper Bank . They detail the launch of the first Model Context Protocol (MCP) banking integration, explaining how this technology enables AI platforms to perform CFO-level financial anal...

This episode brings together host  Andrew Liesch , Head of Bank Strategy at  Travillian , and  Stephen Scouten , Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst at  Piper Sandler , for one of the most grounded conversations you’ll hear on bank performance heading into 2026. Scouten lays out why management teams feel more optimistic than they have in years, why valuations remain stubbornly low...

In Building Brotherly Love: Ira Robbins, CEO of Valley National Bank, and Brent Beardall, CEO of WaFd Bank, moderators Brian Love (Head of Banking & Fintech, Travillian) and Andrew Liesch (Head of Bank Strategy, Travillian), and keynote speakers, Ira Robbins (Chairman and CEO, Valley National Bank) and Brent Beardall (President, CEO, and Vice Chairman, WaFd Bank) dive into American banking and...

As privately held banks look for smarter ways to manage shareholder relations, My Private Shares is helping them do it without losing control. In this episode of Travillian Next, Andrew Liesch, Head of Bank Strategy at Travillian, sits down with John Antolik, CEO of My Private Shares; Sam Ishee, CFO of Florida Capital Bank; and Andy Borrmann, CFO of Lincoln Savings Bank. Together, they explore how...

In this Travillian Next  Trailblazers episode, the founders of Acceleron Bank Information share how they’re helping community banks reclaim lost ground in international payments — a business long dominated by megabanks and fintechs. They reveal why cross-border payments are a critical battleground for community institutions looking to protect deposits, drive fee income, and stay relevant in a glob...

Community banks are facing a technology tipping point. In this NEXT Forum panel, leaders on the front lines of digital transformation break down what’s real, what’s hype, and where banks must invest now to stay competitive. Technology Phanatics: Innovation in Banking features:• Moderator — Keith Daly, Principal, Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian• Ryan Hildebrand, EVP & Chief Innovatio...

Moderated by Matthew Resch (Ambassador Financial Group) and Brian Love, Head of Banking & Fintech at Travillian, this NEXT Forum fireside features Curtis Myers, CEO & Chairman of Fulton Bank, on navigating today’s banking climate: deposit strategy, scalable community banking, talent development, and the real-world M&A calculus regional banks face while protecting local identity.

In the opening session of NEXT Forum 2025, “Banking in 2025: A Declaration of Independence,” top bank leaders discuss how community banks are adapting to regulatory shifts, M&A opportunities, interest rate volatility, and emerging technologies like AI and fintech partnerships. The panel explores efficiency, liquidity, credit quality, and talent strategies shaping the future of independent bank...

Amber Buker, Chief Research Officer at Travillian, sits down with Alana Levine, Chief Revenue Officer at Fintel Connect, and Melissa Rawl, Director of Product Marketing at Live Oak Bank, to explore the findings from the 2025–2026 Financial Industry Affiliate Marketing Report. The discussion covers how affiliate marketing drives growth for banks, shifts in consumer demand, he rise of lending produc...

Host Amber Buker, Chief Research Officer at Travillian, sits down with Rick Geloff, EVP of Bank of North Dakota, to discuss how the only state-owned bank in the U.S. is tackling fintech disruption head-on. Geloff’s role was created to focus on strategic initiatives, including stablecoin, embedded finance, and deposit diversification, all while supporting North Dakota’s community banks. From buildi...

Host Keith Daly , Principal, Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian , sits down with Zach Boyda , Treasurer at CFG Bank , and Adam Mustafa , CEO and Co-Founder of Invictus Group . Together, they discuss the evolution of stress tests from a regulatory requirement into a proactive tool for capital planning, growth, and strategy. The conversation covers CFG Bank’s journey from $1 billion to $5.5...

Travillian Next host  Amber Buker , Chief Strategy Officer at  Travillian , sits down with  David Robinson , Director of Fintech and Embedded Banking at  Academy Bank , to uncover how a family-owned community bank became one of the fastest movers in embedded banking. From record-breaking onboarding with  Treasury Prime  to building a fintech partner profile that balances growth with risk, David sh...

Host Keith Daly , Principal, Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian , sits down with Lori Bettinger , President of BancAlliance , and Steve Lundgren , CEO of Denali State Bank , to explore how community banks are navigating growth, competition, and changing interest rate environments. Lori also shares what makes BancAlliance’s network valuable for members across the country. Lori will be moder...

What if your savings account was so secure that even your account number couldn’t be used to steal from you? That’s the kind of question Austin Capital Bank is answering; Not by thinking like a traditional bank, but by operating more like a tech company. In her debut interview on Travillian Next, Amber Buker , Chief of Research at Travillian , sits down with Erik Beguin , Founder and CEO of Austin...