Print Issue: 2023-February edition

Inflation’s disparate impact

I am convinced community banks feel the impact of inflation more than big banks. Inflation means upward pressure on interest rates, and community banks generally need to increase the interest rates they pay on CDs and savings accounts more rapidly than the largest banks because people still feel larger banks are safer than smaller banks. No matter what regulatory changes occur, most people still believe too-big-to-fail is real.  [Continue]

Is your remote deposit capture up to snuff?

We’re asked to upload images with our phones all the time. Insurance cards, driver’s licenses, checks. And we’ve all experienced the less-than-stellar experience of struggling to get our item exactly in the frame or a multi-step process of needing to crop and rotate so that the image is accepted. [Continue]

Retirements cause leadership shake-up at region’s Fed Banks

Charles Evans and Esther George were both born on January 15, 1958, which means they bumped up against the Federal Reserve’s mandatory retirement age for bank presidents last month. Leadership changes, therefore, are underway at the Chicago and Kansas City Federal Reserve Banks: Austan Goolsbee was named the new president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City has yet to permanently fill the vacancy created by George’s departure; she was replaced on an interim basis by Kelly Dubbert, first vice president and chief operating officer.  [Continue]

Building a ‘we before me’ team culture

Banks with success stories to share frequently share a common attribute, wrote Kyle Hershberger, president at Cross Financial in Omaha, Neb. Their bank’s culture and teamwork rate as a strength and competency. Strong teams focus on “we before me.” [Continue]

The 3-minute, fixed-rate loan

Buy Now, Pay Later,” that point-of-sale tool consumers are increasingly using to break purchases into bite-sized payments, may be the flavor of the month to some, but it doesn’t whet Greg Ohlendorf’s appetite. [Continue]

Tackling the evolving security landscape of 2023

Security challenges for financial institutions are evolving quickly and continually. Increases in cyberattacks, online fraud and ATM thefts are top of mind for the security teams responsible for protecting people and assets. [Continue]

Duty of Care: Community banks step up amid child care shortage

While the pandemic significantly impacted all industries, many have clawed their way back even as inflation, labor shortages and supply chain constraints continue. Child care has been a slightly different story, with a crucial industry failing to rebound since 2020 put it in freefall. [Continue]