Heather Malcolm is a central Montana agricultural lender, but when she’s not at the bank, she works on her family’s cattle ranch, which allows her to stay closely in touch with the challenges faced by her loan customers. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, Malcolm talks current pressures, such as commodity pricing, facing ...…

For Valentine’s Day, the ABA Banking Journal Podcast digs into trends on U.S. marriage and fertility rates and how they might affect financial institutions. Lyman Stone — an economist who researches demographics and migration at the Institute for Family Studies, American Enterprise Institute and Demographic Intelligence — discusses: How the tre ...…

In honor of Abraham Lincoln’s 210th birthday on Feb. 12, join ABA Banking Journal Podcast co-host Evan Sparks for a bonus episode on Lincoln’s legacy on U.S. banking policy and regulation. In this episode, listeners will learn about: Lincoln’s early support as a Whig for a national bank How the examination of the Illinois state bank was the sub ...…

As community bankers face increasing pressures to deliver a truly awesome digital customer experience, many report feeling constrained in choice, speed and agility by core processors. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, guests discuss how the next generation of core banking technology is evolving. “If we can get the core r ...…

Along with major sporting events like the Super Bowl comes a tragic increase in victims of sexual trafficking in that city. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, two top compliance executives at U.S. Bank describe how they partnered with law enforcement and leveraged transaction data to help identify human traffickers during ...…

Bankers today require a broader understanding of technology issues, especially cybersecurity, while also needing deep grounding in core leadership principles, says former bank executive and current business school teacher Greg Smith on the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast. “We need to make sure our team members, our employees, ...…

On this bonus episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, two members of the ABA Foundation team -- Sam Kunjukunju and Jeni Pastier -- join to discuss ABA's 2019 financial education programs, which are now open for registration. Kunjukunju and Pastier also discuss FinEdLink, a platform that connects community partners and organizations with ban ...…

With the London Interbank Offered Rate — which underpins more than $350 trillion in mortgages, commercial loans, bonds and derivatives worldwide, including $200 trillion in U.S. dollar-denominated financial instruments — not guaranteed to be sustained after 2021, what should banks be doing now to prepare for a transition away from the widely us ...…

The U.S. economic outlook, while positive, is a tale of two stories, says Comerica Bank Chief Economist Robert Dye on the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast. One story is strong current conditions, including job growth, labor force participation and wage growth. “It’s been absolutely remarkable, the ability of this economy to cre ...…

Charlie Schmalz is optimistic about the policy environment for community banks. As chairman of ABA’s Community Bankers Council and president and CEO of East Wisconsin Savings Bank in Kaukauna, Wis., he outlines provisions in S. 2155 that will help his bank — including Qualified Mortgage designation for portfolio loans and the community bank lev ...…

“Innovation doesn’t have to be in technology,” says Julieann Thurlow. “Innovation can be rethinking about a problem and really thinking about what consumers want and where the need is.” On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, Thurlow — president and CEO of Reading Cooperative Bank in Reading, Mass. — discusses a variety of way ...…

Key regulatory changes and business trends will drive bank mergers and acquisitions in 2019, two top bank deal lawyers say on the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast. In the episode, Jonathan Hightower and Rob Klingler — Atlanta-based partners at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner — outline what to expect in the year ahead, including: La ...…

With the increasing growth of video-conferencing and cloud computing technology, telework is become ever more feasible — and many companies are welcoming it, whether to retain workers who want more flexibility, reduce physical space costs or be more resilient in times of disaster. At the same time, other companies are recalling telecommuters in ...…

Small cities, small towns and rural areas are facing a variety of structural headwinds, from demographic declines to globalization to the digital transformation of the economy. But locally owned community banks remain a strong countervailing force to help these communities navigate the transition, economic development expert Aaron Renn says on ...…

The latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast features interviews with the winners of ABA's 2018 Community Commitment Awards. Recorded before a live audience at ABA's Annual Convention in New York, where the awards were presented, each interview explores the winning program or initiative at each bank and provides insights on how they mi ...…

With less than a week before comments are due on the OCC’s August advance notice of proposed rulemaking on the Community Reinvestment Act, ABA VP Krista Shonk follows up an earlier podcast interview with tips on how to complete a comment letter and key points ABA will be making in its own letter. In the interview, she discusses Meaningful stori ...…

As we mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice ending hostilities in World War II -- observed today as Veterans Day -- Steve Lepper of the Association of Military Banks of America discusses the unique financial needs of service members and their families, the challenges that come with providing military banking services and resources to help ...…

On the latest episode, James Ballentine, head of congressional affairs for ABA, joins Elizabeth Coit, who leads the ABA Voter Education Fund, to discuss the results of the 2018 midterm elections, which saw Democrats seize a House majority while Republicans expanded their Senate majority, and their implications for bankers. The guests talk with ...…

As long as banks have existed, they've deployed innovative technology to better serve their customers and improve efficiency. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, two leading bankers discuss distinct approaches to partnering with fintech firms today. At Lincoln Savings Bank, Mike McCrary leads fintech partnership efforts -- ...…

For 11 years in a row, Chesapeake Bank has been named to American Banker's list of the top-performing community banks; for six straight years, it has been named a "best bank to work for." On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, bank CEO and newly minted ABA Chairman Jeff Szyperski talks about the key strategic drivers of succe ...…

In a bonus episode recorded at ABA's Annual Convention in New York this morning, ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols discusses new numbers from Morning Consult showing that nearly nine in 10 Americans are satisfied or very satisfied with their banks -- and he digs deeper into a letter he sent this morning to the big three core processors, calling ...…

Peg Scott is a family farmer who joined Union State Bank a couple years out of high school as a teller and went on to hold virtually every role in the bank. When the bank’s owners were looking to sell, she and her husband got a group of investors together, bought the bank and kept it local in Greenfield, Iowa. “People who have no money buy thin ...…

Luanne Cundiff — president and CEO of First State Bank of St. Charles and vice chairman of ABA’s Community Bankers Council — was one of six community business leaders and the only banker to join an Oval Office meeting today with President Trump and members of his cabinet. In this eight-minute bonus episode, recorded shortly after the White Hous ...…

In the more than eight years since the Dodd-Frank Act passed, just 13 new U.S. banks have been chartered — and in some years, no new banks have been chartered at all. ABA Chairman Ken Burgess, who co-founded FirstCapital Bank of Texas as a de novo two decades ago, is concerned about these numbers. While the number of de novos and applications i ...…

This week, ABA’s legal team provides a preview of key cases in the Supreme Court’s 2018-19 term and their significance for banks. Among these cases: Lusnak v. Bank of America, a case involving whether state law can preempt the National Bank Act. Weyerhaeuser v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which along with Lusnak may test the limits of “Chev ...…

On a bonus episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, ABA VP Krista Shonk outlines the process for modernizing Community Reinvestment Act regulations and how bankers can get involved. Shonk provides a detailed analysis of what’s in the OCC’s August advance notice of proposed rulemaking, including questions about ways the banking agencies can e ...…

Huntington Bank, a $104 billion regional bank based in Columbus, Ohio, is building a new nationwide vertical to provide specialized banking services to technology, media and telecommunications firms. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, banking veteran Scott Webster — who is leading the new vertical — discusses the strategy ...…

Clay Ewing is president and chief banking officer of a community bank with a name that reflects its heritage — but German American Bank is well ahead in developing a well-rounded community bank model that thrives. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, Ewing discusses German American’s busy but deliberate pace of acquisitions ...…

As the nation commemorates the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, learn how one community bank uses the occasion to honor military personnel, veterans and first responders. Through its Step Forward campaign, which runs between Sept. 11 and Veterans Day on Nov. 11, Mars Bank compiles stories of local service members, veterans, policy, fire and ...…

On the season two premiere of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, banking legend James "Chip" Mahan provides his wide-ranging outlook on bank technology, small business lending and the customer experience. The founder of the first fully internet-based bank in the 1990s, and today the founder, chairman and CEO of Live Oak Bank and a founding board ...…

Listen in for a brief preview of Season 2 of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, which starts on Sept. 5.

To conclude the first season of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, co-host Evan Sparks tells the story of nine young bankers who changed America. In this episode, you’ll hear about: How 27-year-old Alexander Hamilton founded the nation’s first commercial bank The 32-year-olds who founded America’s first savings banks Maggie Walker, the daughter o ...…

When asked which provision of the S. 2155 regulatory reform bill would be most meaningful to them, community bankers were most likely to rank the policy change to make most reciprocal deposits non-brokered. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, two community bankers -- Tony Collins of Southern Bank and Trust and Jim Di Misa ...…

Synthetic identity theft is a fast-emerging vector of financial fraud, reaching $8 billion and accounting for the majority of fraud on payment cards, according to expert estimates. Projected to double between 2014 and 2018, this form of fraud is “difficult to spot and it’s rapidly growing — and that’s not a coincidence,” says Rob McKenna, forme ...…

With members of Congress heading home during August, it's a perfect opportunity for bankers to host lawmakers in their banks using ABA's Take Your Lawmaker to Work program. For a little more inspiration, listen to Jennifer Luce's story of building a grassroots advocacy network at her bank. As an EVP at FirstBank, Luce heads the bank's Douglas C ...…

July 31 was a big day in the fintech policy world. First, the Treasury Department released a long-awaited report with recommendations on enhancing the regulatory environment to promote financial innovation. Later that day, the OCC announced that it will begin accepting applications for special-purpose national bank charters, which would allow f ...…

As more and more states legalize the use and sale of marijuana, more and more banks are finding themselves caught between the pincer of local needs and federal law. Recreational adult use of marijuana is now legal in nine states plus Washington, D.C., with prescription use permitted in another 31, plus 15 more that allow low-THC cannabinoid pro ...…

Earlier this month, New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp, a mutual holding company for two New Hampshire banks and a wealth management firm, welcomed a new affiliated bank, Savings Bank of Walpole — as well as a new CEO. Gregg Tewksbury led the Walpole bank and now serves as president and CEO of the overall holding company. On the latest episode of the ...…

When it comes to banking, Laurie Stewart has seen it all. She started her career as a teller at a regional thrift; later, she worked as a bank examiner, and more recently, she served as chief executive of a credit union, a mutual bank and a commercial bank. The latter progression was at a single institution: a credit union that was outgrowing i ...…

“Marketing is interruption,” says John Oxford, head of marketing and corporate communications at Renasant Bank in Tupelo, Miss. “How do you steal attention?” On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, Oxford discusses Renasant’s content strategy to engage potential customers without making them feel like it’s an awkward brand int ...…

To mark Independence Day this week, this bonus episode of the ABA Banking Journal explores the role of banking and finance in the American Revolution and the founding era. This week’s guest, 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 ...…

Six months after last discussing the economic outlook with Ellen Zentner, chief U.S. economist at Morgan Stanley, the ABA Banking Journal Podcast welcomes Zentner for a new economic update. At midyear, ABA's Economic Advisory Committee (chaired by Zentner) is projecting 2018 GDP growth to reach 2.8 percent, 40 basis points above its January pro ...…

To mark Elder Abuse Awareness Month in June, a bonus episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast explores how banks can successfully partner with law enforcement, Adult Protective Services agencies and other community partners to protect their senior citizen customers from elder financial abuse. The guests on the podcast — Ed Hutchison of the Na ...…

The latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, sponsored by Velocity Solutions, takes listeners to the “busiest place in the entire country” when it comes to oil, as Jay Jenkins describes his hometown of Carlsbad, N.M. The boomtown — located in the heart of the oil-rich Delaware Basin, which is part of the broader Permian oil-producing ...…

A lawyer and a professional baseball player walk into a bank… no, it’s not a joke — it’s the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast. Emily Gray graduated from law school, and Blake Taylor began his working life as a minor-league baseball player, but both of them ended up building successful careers in community banking. Gray is now s ...…

As the leader of a 32-person R&D team helping U.S. Bank’s business lines implement new technology and scout out the most promising financial innovations, Dominic Venturo is on the front lines of fintech innovation in the banking world. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, Venturo talks about recent and upcoming innovations ...…

“Do you really think I could do this?” the aspiring entrepreneur asks Patti Husic. She offers encouragement, understanding the value of imagination and inspiration in helping small businesses launch and grow. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, Husic — the president and CEO of Centric Bank in Harrisburg, Pa. — tells storie ...…

In a typical bank merger, only one brand survives. Gulfport, Miss.-based Hancock Bank and New Orleans’ Whitney Bank merged seven years ago — but today, they are getting around to adopting a single name: Hancock Whitney Bank. Until now, the bank operated under different names in different markets. Hancock and Whitney each had more than a century ...…

Big news: S. 2155 passed the House and is headed to President Trump's desk for his signature. If you're following the American Bankers Association, you've been hearing about this bill for months -- and before it, you've been hearing about ABA's years of efforts to bring regulatory relief to America's banks and their customers. On this bonus epi ...…

For Jim Edwards, a third-generation banker and the chairman and CEO of United Bank Corp. in Zebulon, Ga., community banking is about providing a “high-touch” experience. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, sponsored by Windstream Enterprise, Edwards discusses how this philosophy applies to the retail operation and to wealt ...…