The Banker Next Door

Q2 is a fintech company that has been around for over 20 years delivering innovative digital banking solutions. This episode looks at one of their market analysis reports titled “The State of Commercial Banking 2026.” The report has six key takeaways, which include 1) liquidity recovers enabling stronger NIM, 2) loan demand has rebounded, 3) competitive climate has intensified, 4) fraud risk is in...

How does a debit or credit card transaction work? What are Swipe Fees? ICBA just released a new Interchange Guide which explains this payment channel for small business customers. A debit or credit card transaction has six steps and includes four parties (cardholder, merchant, acquirer, and issuer). Swipe Fees are what the merchant pays the acquirer to accept the card. Swipe Fees have three parts:...

As the consternation on Wall Street around the Private Credit market continues, we examine bank lending to NDFIs. This has been banks largest and fastest-growing loan segment since 2010. The compound growth rate from 2010 to 2024 is 21.9%, almost three times as high as the next segment, which is multifamily CRE. NDFI lending has increased from $56B in 2010 to $1.32 trillion in 2025! NDFI lending a...

The U.S. banking industry had solid performance in the 4Q of 2025 according to the FDIC. ROA and Net Income improved significantly from 2024, Net Interest Margin improved to 3.39%, loan growth continued to expand up 5.9%, domestic deposits increased for a sixth straight quarter, and asset quality metrics remained generally favorable, but some weakness is beginning to show. Unrealized losses on sec...

This is part 37 of the crypto series. In this episode we examine the lawsuit filed against Jane Street alleging that the trading firm used insider knowledge to profit from the demise of Terraform Labs. Did Jane Street cause the Crypto Winter of 2022? Binance fired staff that were investigating the movement of $1 billion dollars through the platform to Iran-backed terror groups. Crypto firms think...

This video is a clip from BND: Strategy Room Live Stream on February 28, 2026. Jane Street is being sued by the trust administrator for Terraform Labs. The suit alleges that the company engaged in insider trading to profit unlawfully and ultimately caused the collapse of Terraform Labs. Did the actions of Jane Street cause the destruction of Terraform Labs and thus cause the Crypto Winter of 2022?...

The Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.

Checking accounts have become a commoditized product for banks. How can banks unlock a value creating growth engine and protect market share from new competitors such as neobanks? Using the Amazon strategy of bundling products through a subscription service feature might be the answer. Amazon is currently offering a checking account bundled with additional service for a monthly fee. Based on resea...

Vetting and assessing fintech partners can be a difficult task for community banks. In seeking a framework to assist community banks in this effort, a new organization called the Coalition for Financial Ecosystem Standards (CFES) was created in March of 2025. CFES has now rolled out the Standardized Assessment for Risk Management & Compliance or STARC framework. STARC can certify that a fintec...

This one is for the ladies! There are now 154 billionaire women in the U.S. These women have a comparable median net worth to the men of around $2 billion. While 154 billionaire women is a smaller number than the 981 male billionaires in the U.S., there numbers are growing. How did these women amass their fortunes? Most of the money was inherited but the number of self-made entrepreneurs is growin...

The conversation around Prediction Markets continues as the CFTC is ready to go to court and fight states over who has jurisdiction when it comes to enforcement and regulation. In addition, we look at why options traders are moving to Prediction Markets. The blurring of the lines between trading and gambling continue. Finally, we consider how sports betting is a zero-sum game. What does this ultim...

As the fallout from SCOTUS’ decision on tariffs continues, we consider five takeaways. 1) Tariffs are not authorized under the IEEPA, but all other tariffs are okay. 2) The refund process is likely going to be a mess. 3) The Trump administration is already looking at existing tariff laws to keep the current tariffs deals in place. 4) In justice Kavanaugh’s dissenting opinion he stated that other l...

This video is a clip from BND: Strategy Room Live Stream on February 20, 2026. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) struck down President Trump’s tariffs that fell under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act or IEEPA. This decision by SCOTUS had interjected chaos into President Trump’s economic agenda and slows down his ability to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. This deci...

The Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.

After a condo building collapsed in South Florida a few years ago new legislation has been put in place around disclosures condo associations have to provide to potential buyers. The new law requires condominium associations with 25 units or more to provide a secure portal where buyers can view documents that include bank statements, reserve details, and structural reports. Furthermore, the recent...

Tai Lopez the founder of Retail Ecommerce Ventures (“REV”) has been accused by the SEC of running a Ponzi scheme. He is currently being investigated by the FBI but, as of yet, no charges have been filed. Tai and his partner, Alex Mehr, set up REV to use as an investment vehicle. They started buying defunct retail brands such as RadioShack, Pier 1 Imports, Dressbarn, Modell’s Sporting Goods, and Li...

The SBA recently updated its SOP to reflect changes to citizenship status. The requirement states that 100% of all direct and/or indirect owners of small business applicant be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national who have their principal residence in the United States. Additionally, the SBA is going after fraud in California, specifically around PPP and EIDL loans made during COVID. The SBA is also rat...

Are the people that use Prediction Markets ‘traders’ or ‘gamblers’? In this episode we look at how one ‘trader’ lost $100k on the Super Bowl, how Robinhood is cashing in on the action, and why Robinhood’s CEO sees Prediction Markets entering a ‘Supercycle’. There should be a lot of concern around the growth of online gambling. There should be a lot of concern about how all the major sports leagues...

This is part 36 of the crypto series. In this episode we check in on the continuing volatility of Bitcoin. An update on Coinbase as they suffer a 4th quarter loss to end 2025. Strategy is HOLDING strong, literally. What a potential ‘winter’ in stablecoins could mean for the crypto worlds’ broader ambitions. Bitcoin miners are converting facilities into AI data centers. A bitcoin backed bond sale b...

This video is a clip from BND: Strategy Room Live Stream on February 14, 2026. The disclosure of the Jeffrey Epstein documents has sent shockwaves across Wall Street and the financial world. A judge ruled that a lawsuit against Bank of America from an Epstein victim can proceed. Goldman Sachs’ main attorney Kathryn Ruemmler resigned. Brad Karp, the Chairman of law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharto...

The Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.

Kevin Warsh was just named by President Trump to be the next Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Mr. Warsh has a monumental task before him in not only fixing the mistakes of the Federal Reserve but trying to fix the problems that have metastasized in the U.S. economy. Can Mr. Warsh fix the misallocation of capital that was caused by the Fed’s zero interest rate policy? The persistent inflation? The...

Neobanks are currently facing some of the same difficulties as banks. The problems include cooling funding, rising customer acquisition costs, and investors increasingly focused on profits. As the hypergrowth for Neobanks has cooled, a small group has emerged as leaders. These Neobanks include Revolut, Monzo, and Chime. What can banks learn from this changing landscape? The blog post examined in t...

Metropolitan Capital Bank & Trust in Chicago is the first bank failure of 2026. On Friday, January 30th the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) closed the single-branch $261 million asset bank. The FDIC was appointed as receiver and sold most of the assets and liabilities of the bank to Detroit based First Independence Bank. IDFPR stated that Metropolitan Capit...

The M&A market for banks continues to heat up with several recently announced transactions. Santander is buying Webster Financial for $12.3 billion. Columbia Bank is buying Northfield Bank for $597 million. Stock Yards Bancorp is buying Field & Main Bancorp for $105 million. Prosperity Bancshares is buying Stellar Bancorp for $2 billion. There have been 14 deals announced to start 2026 and...