ABA Banking Journal Podcast

On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by  R&T Deposit Solutions  — ABA's Jeff Huther and Sharon Whitaker rebut a false narrative about how banks are managing commercial real estate credit risk. Expanding on a  rebuttal to a New York Fed paper , they explore why measures of distress and undercapitalization used by the New York Fed and some in the media are inconsisten...

Today's episode features a crossover from ABA's brand new podcast series: ABA Fraudcast: Cyber and Fraud with Paul Benda. Community banks can be targets of large-scale fraud, just like larger banks. On the inaugural episode of the ABA Fraudcast, former ABA Chair Dan Robb, president and CEO of Jonesburg State Bank in Missouri, describes the recent targeting of his bank by fraudsters who texted thou...

From AI and crypto to complex regulatory challenges and increasingly diverse markets, bank executives face increasingly complex strategic decisions — and so do bank boards as they set and oversee the strategic direction for their banks. And yet, the average age of bank directors is 76, and many do not have expertise in these critical challenges affecting banks. On the latest episode of the ABA Ban...

In this holiday bonus episode —  sponsored by TransUnion  — host Evan Sparks digs into the Banking Journal archives to learn more about the "Christmas Club" savings vehicle, and what this financial product says about human psychology and behavioral economics. This episode is presented by TransUnion .

"Well, your money's in Joe's house, that's right next to yours. And in the Kennedy House, and Mrs. Macklin's house, and, and a hundred others. Why, you're lending them the money to build, and then, they're going to pay it back to you as best they can." Seventy-eight years ago, George Bailey memorably explained the operation of a mutual savings and loan to a national audience in  It's a Wonderful L...

The rarely used Congressional Review Act provides an opportunity for Congress and the president to overturn regulatory rulemakings — and the GOP trifecta in 2025 will bring new regulations up for review. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by TransUnion  — ABA experts Kirsten Sutton and Ginny O'Neill break down details about CRA that bankers need to know: Which ru...

Saved by the bell? Millions of American businesses faced a January 1 deadline to register their beneficial owners with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network — until a federal judge  issued a preliminary injunction  yesterday stopping FinCEN from enforcing the deadline. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by TransUnion  — ABA experts Heather Trew and Jonathan Bl...

Advertising jingles: corny or clever? "Imagine the repetition over years in a community that hears it regularly," says Clark Hook of Financial Marketing Solutions. "It's whether you love or hate jingles, you cannot deny the power of that mnemonic device to put attribution to the things you're putting into the world." On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Agri-Acc...

Middle market businesses don't get the attention of the Fortune 500 or the love that small businesses get from policymakers, but these firms are still  critical to the economy  — accounting for a third of private-sector GDP and employing up to 50 million Americans.  On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Agri-Access  — KeyBank commercial bank president Ken Gavrity...

The Republican sweep of the presidency and Congress, with extremely narrow control of the House, sets up tax policy as a major issue in 2025. With many provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expiring at the end of next year and tax policy changes able to be passed on a simple-majority basis through budget reconciliation, bankers can expect to see tax policy front and center. On the latest ep...

With commodity prices falling and producer expenses rising, it's a difficult moment for America's agricultural economy. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Agri-Access  — Dakota Mac loan production officer Caleb Hopkins discusses strategies ag lenders are using to support their clients through this cycle. As chair of ABA's Agricultural and Rural Bankers Committ...

John Asbury didn't need a new job in 2016, but when he saw an opportunity build something lost in the 1990s — what he calls "the great Virginia regional bank" —  he took it . Eight years later, Richmond-based Atlantic Union Bank has more than tripled in size and is on track to reach nearly $40 billion in assets after completion of an  announced acquisition  of Sandy Spring Bank. On the latest epis...

Crypto investment scams cost Americans billions of dollars. The scammers start small with confidence or romance scams and gradually work their way up to demanding ever larger "investments." On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Alkami  — officials from the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission break down how these scam...

How do community banks balance the need for cutting-edge technology and the human touch? On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Alkami — Pamela Montpelier of Ballston Spa National Bank talks about how a laser-like focus on customer experience can help drive growth. Among other topics, Montpelier discusses the use of AI-based tools to improve decision-making and he...

As president and CEO of $50 billion-plus BOK Financial, Stacy Kymes spends time thinking about the role of regional banks in the U.S. economy. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Alkami  — Kymes talks about how BOK Financial finds unique niches and meets the credit and capital market needs in its core mid-America markets. Among other topics, Kymes discusses: BO...

Miami is often described as the northernmost city in Latin America, or sometimes as Latin America's business capital. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Alkami — Banesco USA President and CEO Cali Garcia-Velez discusses how he and his team are growing a Latin American banking franchise in South Florida and Puerto Rico. Among other topics, Garcia-Velez discusse...

Most bankers dread the thought of a core conversion, but once that decision is made, the process can open up new opportunities for strategic growth. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Alkami  — Webster Five CIO Kate Megraw discusses her bank's conversion and what she learned. Among other topics, Megraw explains: How a new core met the business strategy needs o...

As chief corporate responsibility officer for Webster Bank, Marissa Weidner works across the bank's footprints and business lines to help advance the bank's goals of financial empowerment. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Alkami  — Weidner discusses the many dimensions of how this takes shape at the northeastern regional bank. Among other topics, she explore...

Fraud is front and center for America's banks, and on the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Alkami  — ABA's Paul Benda and Peter Cook discuss several recent initiatives taken by ABA to help banks tackle fraud from a variety of fronts. Benda discusses ABA's recently expanded  Fraud Contact Directory , which is free to all banks and now encompasses other forms of frau...

Earlier this week, VersaBank  closed  on its purchase of Stearns Bank Holdingford N.A., giving the Canadian point-of-sale lender a point of entry into the U.S. market. On the season eight premiere of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast —  sponsored by Alkami  — VersaBank founder and CEO David Taylor discusses the bank's growth plans in the United States. Taylor also explores his career history in bank...

Consumers everywhere see and hear credit union marketing campaigns, from  PenFed's ubiquitous jingle  to big stadium and Super Bowl sponsorship deals. In fact, according to a new ABA DataBank post from ABA's Dan Brown and Robert Flock, credit unions spend more than double what comparable banks do on marketing as a percentage of net income. But why do credit unions, which serve members from defined...

At the midpoint of the year, what's the M&A outlook like for community banks? On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, ABA Banking Journal Contributing Editor Paul Davis discusses what he's seeing with mergers and acquisitions and what to expect for the remainder of 2024. Davis, the founder of  the Bank Slate  newsletter, also discusses what he's hearing from banks about successio...

On this episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, ABA economist Jeff Huther discusses recent dynamics with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, the "world's most important number." Huther delves into topics in his his  new ABA DataBank essay , exploring how quantitative tightening has pushed SOFR toward the upper end of the Federal Open Market Committee's rate target range, the effects of monet...

To mark Independence Day this week, this classic replay episode of the ABA Banking Journal explores the role of banking and finance in the American Revolution and the founding era. John Steele Gordon is an acclaimed economic historian whose books include  Hamilton's Blessing ,  The Great Game  and  An Empire of Wealth ; he is also the ABA Banking Journal's " From the Vault " columnist. In this epi...

"We're seeing banks that have never been scrutinized before for redlining and being told that they have risk that they have not before and risk in ways that they've never really viewed it before," says Andrea Mitchell. "We're in some new territory, and I think it's important for CEOs to understand what their compliance officers and legal departments are seeing on the ground." In the latest episode...