MK Decision is a tech company on the rise. Founded in 2015, the San Diego-based company offers an online loan application and security platform designed to help community banks compete. BankBeat talked to CEO Har Rai Khalsa about the company’s approach to online lending and its new partnership, launched in February, with Bankers’ Bank, Madison, Wis. [Continue]
Where many banks might present themselves with a look, tone and environment that’s as serious as the work they do, that’s simply not nbkc bank’s style. Even its name — all lowercase letters — asserts that this bank strives for a more casual image. [Continue]
The customer experience reigns supreme, but so does how a bank differentiates itself by its choices in location and design. Today’s design-build firms emphasize a full-service consultative approach to bank architecture that takes into account retail trends, community needs, and yes, bricks and mortar. [Continue]
The creativity that helped Richwood Bank launch a marketing consultancy has also helped the bank increase its lobby traffic and support its local economy. In 2015, when Richwood Bank decided to update its lobby, it needed to respond to two consecutive years of decline in lobby traffic. Bank CEO Chad Hoffman wanted to create a fresh experience in order to turn that decline around. [Continue]
Writers looking for a book deal or agent representation learn rather quickly that success hinges on two things: Name recognition and a marketable platform. Most bankers don’t have name recognition outside of their communities or institutions, but a platform is clearly within reach and building one can be good for business. Not only can a platform position you as a thought leader, it can raise the visibility of your institution. [Continue]
We want our teams to feel empowered to use their resources and take appropriate action to overcome obstacles. At the most basic level, this means keeping open the lines of communication. Communication challenges often first come to my attention during monthly one-on-one meetings with staff. [Continue]
Call it miscommunication, serendipity or divine intervention, but the first meeting between marketer Heather Wirtz and banker Chad Hoffman has resulted in a groundbreaking way for Richwood Bank in Richwood, Ohio, to earn money. [Continue]
Bankers often think of strategic planning in the fall, sometimes in conjunction with the annual budgeting process, but I want to encourage you to think about strategic planning now. If you want to conduct strategic planning successfully this fall, you really need to begin preparing now. [Continue]
Alan Baldwin was all set to retire from a 30-year banking career in Pacific, Mo., when he found a unique opportunity with a competitor bank. A little more than a year later, Baldwin finds himself re-energized in the role of executive vice president of First State Community Bank, headquartered in Farmington, Mo., greeting customers and giving tours of the historical décor featured in the bank’s newly-opened branch. [Continue]
FDIC Chair Jelena McWilliams offers commentary on the Trust through Transparency initiative, the FDIC’s increased focus on cybersecurity, her listening tour of bankers and efforts to streamline regulations at the agency, even though “it’s not the nature of a regulatory agency to declutter.” [Continue]