FDIC Podcast

With all of today’s financial technology, has small business lending lost ‘the human touch?’ In this episode, we dive into the results of the FDIC’s  2024 Small Business Lending Survey  which finds that from the smallest banks to the largest institutions, small business loans are still generally made by…people.

What does it mean to be unbanked in today’s economy? In this episode, we discuss the FDIC’s 2023 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households. Tune in to hear more what the numbers tell us about who is banked, who is not banked,  and why it matters whether someone is banked or not.

In today’s financial marketplace, consumers have never had more choice in selecting the products and services that meet their needs. This episode explores the growing demand for financial education and the work the FDIC is doing to make consumers more ‘Money Smart.’

Banking is a risk business and managing risk is foundational to good banking. In this episode, we dive into the FDIC’s 2024 Risk Review to discuss the latest risks to the U.S. banking sector.

What could possibly go wrong should a global systemically important banking organization fail? In this episode, we look how the FDIC would resolve such a ‘too big to fail’ institution under Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

When an FDIC-supervised bank fails, and the resulting cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund exceeds $50 million, the agency’s Office of Inspector General is required by law to conduct a ‘material loss review.’ In this episode, we learn what these material loss reviews are and why they’re important to our understanding of the reasons for bank failures and the FDIC’s supervision of banks.

Minority banks play a critical role in serving communities that have historically lacked access to credit and capital. In this episode, we meet two bankers—one from a small minority bank and the other from a large global financial institution. Together, they discuss the power of their partnership to make certain the banking system works for everyone.

Community banks have long gained a reputation for being successful based on their deep roots in the communities they serve. But in an age of digital banking and online payment systems, what does success even look like for community banks in 2024 and beyond?

Nobody wants to think about failure but in the banking world, planning for an orderly failure of a large bank can be crucial in preventing taxpayer-funded bailouts or widespread disruptions to the financial system. In this episode, Ryan Tetrick, the FDIC’s Deputy Director of Resolution Readiness, discusses “living wills,” a popular term to describe a plan for when a large bank fails.

Following two large bank failures earlier this year, the FDIC began to examine possible options for reforming its deposit insurance framework. In this episode, we examine three options for deposit insurance reform with FDIC senior economists Jonathan Pogach and Rosalind Bennett.

In an age when most people access banking through digital channels, is there a future for old-school relationship lending?  In this episode, we discuss whether the explosion of financial technology spells the end of human-to-human banking.

Banking in rural America can be a very different experience than banking in cities and suburbs. In this episode, we speak with Donna Gambrell who leads Appalachian Community Capital and Kent Curtis of First Southwest Community Bank in rural Colorado. Together, they describe the unique banking needs for those who live and work in less populated areas across our country.

In the second in our two-part podcast series, FDIC’s Chief of Deposit Insurance Martin Becker returns to discuss the risks consumers need to keep in mind when it comes to deposit insurance—from companies that misrepresent their products as ‘FDIC-insured’ to legitimate firms offering pass-through deposit insurance coverage.

96 percent of all U.S. households had at least one bank or credit union account in 2021 and the percentage of unbanked households fell to a record low. FDIC Analysts Keith Ernst and Karyen Chu describe the findings of the FDIC’s 2021 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households and the work being done to bring more people into the financial fabric of our nation.

Federal deposit insurance is at the heart of FDIC’s mission. But who is protected and what products are covered by deposit insurance? FDIC’s Chief of Deposit Insurance Martin Becker answers some of the frequently asked questions about what deposit insurance is…and what it isn’t.

In the banking world, risk is a fact of life. Identifying and managing those risks are critical functions of bankers and bank regulators alike. But what are the risks to our banks? In our latest episode of the FDIC Podcast, we break down the potential challenges for the banking system —from rising interest rates and inflation to cyber threats, illicit activity and climate-related risks. We invite...

In the history of  our country, minority banks were created to serve people and places that were denied access to the mainstream banking system. Today, these banks are still making a big impact in communities of color. Nicole Elam of the National Bankers Association and economists Karyen Chu and Kristen Broady discuss how these institutions are ‘punching above their weight’ in 2022.

In this episode of the FDIC Podcast, we look at banking in Indian Country with two bankers who lead Native-owned and operated institutions and who work and lend in communities, where if not for these banks, there may not be a bank at all —Tom Ogaard of Native American Bank and Susan Plumb of Bank of Cherokee County.

In this episode of the FDIC Podcast, we look back on 2021 to see how our nation’s banks fared in a year that was still very much impacted a global pandemic and its economic consequences. FDIC senior financial analysts Pat Mitchell and Meg Hanrahan break down the latest annual report card on the condition of the U.S. banking system.

In the first episode ofour new series, Banking on Inclusion, the FDIC’s Betty Rudolph and Nicole Elam of the National Bankers Association explore the world of Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). These ‘mission-driven banks’ play an outsized role in the economic life of the communities they serve.

In this episode of the FDIC Podcast, we sit down for a final time with departing Chairman Jelena McWilliams to reflect upon her tenure leading the FDIC during a challenging time for our financial system.

With the explosion of financial technology in the marketplace, how can we make certain that as our banking system adopts these new technologies, it remains inclusive and accessible to everyone, including the UN-banked? In this episode, FDIC Chief Innovation Officer Sultan Meghji discusses the ‘fairness of Fintech’ with Chris Brummer, director of Georgetown University's Institute of International E...

In an increasingly digital world, how can banks make certain their customers are who they say they are? FDIC Chief Innovation Officer Sultan Meghji discusses how the FDIC and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) are working to improve digital identification, reduce identity-related crime, and preserve confidence in the digital banking environment.

Born in a small Texas town, Arleas Upton Kea came to the FDIC nearly 40 years ago as a young attorney and rose through the agency’s senior ranks in good times and during moments of crisis.  Meet Arleas and her incredible legacy of public service.

In our post-pandemic world, will there be lasting impacts to the commercial real estate sector? The FDIC’s Bob DiChara joins three community bankers who examine of how commercial real estate is trending where they are —John Buran, Flushing Bank in Uniondale, New York; Jim Edwards, United Bank in Griffin, Georgia; and Joanne Kim, Commonwealth Business Bank in Los Angeles.