National Meetings

Are the lights dimming on the industry M&A Dance?

Rising interest rates will slow inflation, but it will reduce spending and “it could cause asset quality problems we don’t currently have,” said Curtis Carpenter of the Hovde Group in a presentation Sunday, the first day of the Acquire or Be Acquired conference in Phoenix. Bank earnings are also likely to suffer as expected higher corporate taxes take hold. [Continue]

Financial inclusion promoted at ABA Summit

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) asked bankers to keep “an open mind” as he refocuses the attention of the Senate Banking Committee on housing and urban affairs in addition to its traditional focus on banking. “This committee for too long has been all about Wall Street banks,” said the committee’s chair. “This means you all won’t like everything we do. It’s not personal. It’s about approaching the economy in a different way.” [Continue]

Bowman addresses Fed’s approach to community banking supervision

Bank building photo

The Federal Reserve Board is putting an increased focus on renewable technology, according to a speech from Governor Michelle Bowman. The former Kansas state bank commissioner addressed community bankers about the Fed’s approach to regulation and supervision at the American Bankers Association Conference for Community Bankers on Feb. 16. [Continue]

Changing conditions bring paradox to industry

Calling these “paradoxical times” investment banker Curtis Carpenter of Sheshunoff & Co., noted the strength of the banking industry at a time when technology is rapidly changing the payments system and younger generations know little about traditional banking. [Continue]

Minority Banking Forum presents business case for inclusion

While diverse hiring practices and an awareness of the growing demographic shift within the U.S. has lessened the gap between minority and non-minority bankers in the past several years, there’s still work to be done, particularly when it comes to including minority bankers in decision making processes. [Continue]

ICBA goes bold with AI demo

The future, as they say, is here. Here being Nashville, Tenn., where on the second day of ICBA Live, the future was carried onto a stage in the form of Sophia, a robot draped in haute couture in the style of Audrey Hepburn, a female gendered artificial intelligence who listened and was capable of engaging … Read more

Complex issues require nuanced thinking

Gretchen Carlson addressed ICBA bankers on March 16, where she shared her story of growing up in Anoka, Minn., learning to play the violin, watching her father lose the family car dealership and her mother win it back. The 1989 Miss America pageant winner became a television news reporter for CBS, a news anchor in Cincinnati, and eventually a Fox News contributor. [Continue]

Bankers take lesson from expert on digital experience

Urging bankers to find their space somewhere “between The Jetsons and The Flintstones,” digital media expert Erik Qualman gave bankers a road map for becoming digital leaders. Qualman, the author of several books, was the keynote speaker March 15 at the annual convention of the Independent Community Bankers of America. Using the acronym STAMP, he encouraged bankers to keep in mind five words: Simple, True, Act, Map and People. [Continue]