The Purposeful Banker

A new Q2 report quantifies a threat that happens gradually: account takeover. Built on anonymized data from nearly 200 banks and credit unions, the report sorts the pattern into six categories of account takeover signals. In this episode, report authors Daniel Wagner and Angelica Gascon share the data and the stories behind it, including why some fraudsters wait almost a year to act. Related Links...

Most bank and credit union RFPs read like checklists, and checklists produce generic, unusable answers. Phil Marion, who leads Q2's proposal team and reviews about 10,000 RFP questions a month, explains why that approach fails financial institutions, and how to write an RFP that surfaces real, differentiated answers. On this episode of The Purposeful Banker, he shares practical, actionable steps f...

In this episode of The Purposeful Banker, we're sharing a replay of a recent Q2 and Bank Director webinar on AI adoption in banking. Q2's Corey Gross talks with Brian Xie of Stanford Federal Credit Union and Michael Purifoy of VeraBank about moving AI from scattered experiments to enterprise strategy, winning over risk and compliance teams, leading change management, and measuring results that hol...

Every fraud conversation eventually turns into a pricing conversation, and most banks and credit unions walk in ready to defend a budget using only one number: last year's fraud losses. HD Jacobs, a digital banking fraud solutions sales lead at Q2, joins The Purposeful Banker to make the case that losses are only one line in the real cost of fraud, and he  walks through the operational, opportunit...

Q2 Innovation Studio just marked its fifth anniversary, with more than 90% of Q2 Digital Banking Platform customers now using its SDK and partner ecosystem. Johnny Ola, SVP of Q2 Innovation Studio, shares the origin story, explains how Q2 vets and works with partners, highlights the use cases banks and credit unions are prioritizing today, and previews what's next as Q2 Code opens up new ways to b...

Six months into 2026, pricing activity is up, but spreads are compressed, fixed-rate margins are under pressure, and deposit balances aren't growing the way banks planned. Q2's Jim Young and Anna-Fay Lohn compare the year-end State of Commercial Banking data against mid-year market reality and talk through what commercial bankers and pricing managers should be paying attention to in the second hal...

Commercial banking is changing fast, and the institutions winning aren't waiting for things to settle. In this episode, recorded live at Q2's CONNECT 26 customer conference, treasury and payments leaders from Associated Bank, Columbia Bank, First Citizens Bank, and Atlantic Union Bank talk through client expectations, payments modernization, embedded banking, AI, fraud, and what a best-in-class tr...

Fraud leaders at banks and credit unions aren't asking whether AI belongs in the fraud stack. They're asking whom they can trust to build with. Jeff Scott, Q2's managing director, Fraud Intelligence, joins the podcast to discuss what it takes to move from alert-chasing to running a full fraud intelligence operation, and why—amid all the AI momentum—human trust is more important than ever. Related...

Budget planning shapes what actually gets done. Melissa Haire, senior vice president of Customer Success at Q2, talks through how financial institutions can move from a project-by-project mindset to a connected strategy where every dollar ties back to desired outcomes. From digital engagement and commercial growth to fraud prevention and AI investment, Melissa shares what the best-performing insti...

Fraud teams rarely struggle with the obvious cases. It's the in-between moments that are hardest: a suspicious login here, a profile change there, a third-party signal that something might be off. The problem is that most account takeover defenses still force a binary choice. Lock the user out or let them through. In this episode, Q2 Product Manager Kristina Wingers joins host Jim Young to talk ab...

In this episode of The Purposeful Banker, Nicholas Koutouras, VP of Product Management for Q2's Relationship Pricing and Profitability business, discusses why repeated late saves can signal deeper drift inside a bank and how disciplined banks create consistency to help teams spot issues earlier and make steadier decisions. Related Links [Playbook] Beyond Pricing. Disciplined Performance. Real Impa...

In this episode of The Purposeful Banker, we're sharing a conversation that goes deeper than the usual AI headlines. In a replay of Q2's new AI-focused podcast, Cut to Context, Adam Blue and Hima Mukkamala explore where AI really sits in the hype cycle, what it is changing in software development, and why human judgment, validation, and systems thinking still matter. For bankers, it's a useful loo...

I n this episode, Nick Koutouras explores what it takes to build a repeatable operating rhythm that strengthens pricing discipline, portfolio oversight, and relationship decision-making. The conversation looks at how governance drift begins, what signals leaders should watch for, and how banks can maintain consistency even when business conditions are strong. Related Links [Blog] Designing the Ope...

As bank M&A activity picks up, the real challenge is no longer just getting the deal done. This episode explores why technology readiness, integration strategy, and customer experience now play a bigger role in determining whether a merger creates value or creates risk. Related Links [Webinar] The M&A Tech Conversion Playbook: Steps and Considerations to Shape Long-term Value [Report] 2026 State o...

As stablecoins move from industry debate to practical planning, Alex Treece of Stablecore joins the podcast to explore what banks should be doing now to prepare responsibly and what strategic, operational, and compliance questions matter most as digital assets evolve as a payment rail. Related Links [Blog] The Value of Digital Assets in Commercial Banking [LinkedIn] Alex Treece [Website] Stablecor...

Nick Koutouras, leader of Q2's Relationship Pricing and Profitability team, explains why bank silos persist even with aligned teams: because the "shared math" arrives too late. Learn how relationship-level economics, the four seasons of banking, and delivery-to-promise reviews help leaders prevent drift and make better decisions. Related Links [LinkedIn] Nicholas Koutouras [Blog] Q2.com   [Podcast...

Todd Klapprodt joins the podcast to provide a practical primer on stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and other digital assets—what they are, why commercial banking is paying attention, and how financial institutions can explore use cases safely. Related Link [LinkedIn] Todd Klapprodt https://www.linkedin.com/in/tklapprodt/  

Digital banking in 2026 is shaping up to be an efficiency race driven by ERP connectivity, instant payments, and the shift toward small business "hub" experiences. In this episode, Debbie Smart previews what the 2026 State of Commercial Banking reveals about where AI is becoming practical, why integration is the real battleground, and what banks need to deliver to stay primary in the relationship....

 In this episode of The Purposeful Banker, Jim Young sits down with Anna-Fay Lohn for a quick preview of the State of Commercial Banking analysis based on 2025 Q2 PrecisionLender data. They unpack the liquidity rebound, shifting deposit dynamics, accelerating pricing activity, spread compression, and what fixed-rate roll-offs mean for margins heading into 2026. Related Links [Webinar Registration]...

This episode features a replay of a Q2 webinar exploring how financial institutions can turn fraud strategy into a competitive edge by using connected fraud intelligence to spot risk earlier, move faster than attackers, protect account holders in real time, and actually improve the digital experience along the way. [LinkedIn] Jeff Scott [LinkedIn] Ben Cash [On-Demand Webinar] Building Trust, Not F...

This replay of a recent panel discussion focuses on what separates top-performing banks from the rest. Hear how leading institutions are driving durable growth in commercial banking, elevating treasury management as a strategic engine, using real customer research to redesign small business offerings, and building cultures that attract top talent while accelerating digital innovation. Related Link...

At Q2's Dev Days 2025, CTO Adam Blue challenged attendees to see AI as art, not automation. In this episode, he joins The Purposeful Banker to explore creativity, orchestration, and how financial institutions, developers, and communities can harness AI to build the future together. Related links: [Blog] Smarter Support Starts With AI https://www.q2.com/blog/smarter-support-starts-with-ai   [Blog]...

Gen Z is redefining loyalty, purpose, and primacy in banking, and fintechs are leading the charge in creating experiences that resonate with the Gen Z audience. In this episode, Spiral CEO Shawn Melamed joins The Purposeful Banker to share a fintech playbook that helps banks and credit unions attract and engage Gen Z through gamified, purpose-driven experiences that grow deposits, deepen relations...

Fraud is evolving fast, and so must the ways financial institutions fight it. In this episode of The Purposeful Banker, Jeff Scott, Q2's VP of Fraudtech Solutions, discusses "Fraud Intelligence," a smarter, trust-first approach to fraud prevention. We explore how financial institutions can build trust without adding friction, the "See It, Stop It, Solve It" framework, and how AI fits into the futu...

How financial institutions can best serve Gen Z accountholders is a popular topic in the industry. In this episode of The Purposeful Banker, we look past the buzz to unpack the data about this segment and talk about the gaps between expectations and behavior. Related Links [Podcast] Inside Gen Z: Lessons in Loyalty https://hub.q2.com/resources/col/pf/inside-gen-z-lessons-in-loyalty [Survey] q2.com...