ABA Banking Journal Podcast

It takes a “diversity of imagination” to drive innovation in community banking, says Josh Rowland. Recognized as one of the most innovative community bank CEOs, Rowland explains Lead Bank’s board diversity strategy, which has resulted in the majority of the bank’s independent directors being women. Rowland also discusses how the “creative friction” of diverse points of view has helped Lead Bank develop fintech partnerships that drive its financial inclusion strategy. Sponsored by Franklin Madiso

“For a long time, these were fields that were seen as kind of ancillary—compliance issues, have-to-dos and cost centers,” Juan Zarate says of anti-money laundering, fraud and cybersecurity. “Today, management of financial crime risk is now a fundamental part of banking.” Among other topics, Zarate addresses the capacity of today's cyber criminals, threats from nation-states like Iran and North Korea, the emergence of technologies like quantum encryption and the technical skills banks need access t

Increasing scarcity of both buyers and sellers will drive bank mergers and acquisitions in 2020, says Rob Klingler of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. 2020 trends to expect include scarcity of selling banks, driven by a strong M&A pace in previous years and a paltry de novo pipeline; increasing scarcity of buyers, as many fast-growing acquisitive banks have reached sizes where their interest in absorbing smaller community banks declines; and growth in non-traditional transactions.

The U.S. economy is continuing to “cruise” ahead, though growth is likely to be more moderate in the year ahead, says Citi's Catherine Mann. She recaps the consensus forecast of ABA’s Economic Advisory Committee, which projects 1.9% GDP growth in 2020 and personal consumption rising just over 2% through 2021. She says consensus among the committee was that the present “Goldilocks” scenario—with interest rates being “just right”—will prevail, with no rate cuts or hikes likely in 2020.

Midwest BankCentre CEO Orvin Kimbrough discusses how his bank serves customers at all ends of the income and wealth continuum. He also discusses his unusual path to the bank C-suite as a former United Way executive, Midwest BankCentre’s partnerships with community and faith-based organizations, and ensuring that a bank’s board and C-suite represents all segments and communities the bank aims to serve.

As banking becomes ever more technology-driven, many banks are shifting to a mindset that embraces ongoing innovation, development and deployment. Regions Bank exemplifies that. In 2019, the company spent $625 million on technology. Turner also discusses how Regions has reshaped its branch operations to provide more career opportunities for employees, how the firm is adapting as it grows organically in newer areas like Texas and the Midwest and what it would look for in a prospective acquisition.

You spend a third of your life at work, says Jeremy Callais. “You can teach someone how to do banking. We hire people who we want to spend a third of our lives with. We tend to think that the customers like to bank with those people too.” Callais talks about his bank’s approach to hiring, leadership development and succession planning — including his own progression through the ranks and the bank’s conscious recruitment of younger personnel, including a CFO and two board members in their 20s.

The OCC and FDIC have released their long-awaited joint proposal to revise and update the Community Reinvestment Act regulatory framework. In this bonus episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, sponsored by OneTrust Vendorpedia, senior OCC policy official Grovetta Gardineer digs into the details of the notice of proposed rulemaking. Comments on the proposal will be due 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register. ABA encourages all banks to comment.

After her bank’s CEO unexpectedly died a quarter century ago, Annette Russell was suddenly thrust into the top job at Security Federal Savings Bank in Logansport, Indiana. But if Russell has anything to do with it, the next transition won’t be so abrupt. On the latest episode—sponsored by OneTrust Vendorpedia—she discusses the succession planning and talent development programs she’s built, both at Security Federal and at the state level during her chairmanship of the Indiana Bankers Association.

In June, Clayton Legear became president and CEO of Merchants and Marine Bank in Pascagoula, Mississippi. As one of the country’s generation of young bank CEOs, and one whose professional background is in risk management and regulatory compliance, Legear shares his unique outlook in the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, sponsored by OneTrust Vendorpedia. Legear discusses key risk topics and emphasizes the need to develop technology to attract and retain customers in the future.

The latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast continues a pre-Thanksgiving tradition by interviewing the winners of ABA's 2019 Community Commitment Awards. Recorded before a live audience at ABA's Annual Convention in Seattle, where the awards were presented, each interview explores the winning initiative at each bank and provides insights on how they might be implemented or adapted at other banks. These stories present the perfect inspiration as we prepare for the season of thanks and giving.

In November, recognized as National Family Caregiver Month, we take a look at how banks can support caregivers in their mission while protecting the privacy and safety of the bank customers receiving care. Kieth Cockrell of Bank of America, joins the podcast to discuss: BofA's “Trusted Contact” feature, which was recently rolled out to all retail bank accounts, and how trusted contacts have facilitated direct conversations with the victimized customers that stopped the scams. Learn more at aba.com/senio

Among unique things that WaFd Bank does: holding consumer mortgage loans in portfolio, allowing it to be more flexible with customers in tough times; as well as making paycheck replacement loans to government employees during the most recent government shutdown. Brent Beardall also discusses WaFd Bank’s growth in markets that range across the west; the role of midsize regional banks in the nation’s financial ecosystem; and WaFd Bank’s technological and cultural evolution to be a digital-first institut

Conduct issues have driven some of the most significant enforcement actions, including those affecting the reputation of the industry. As regulators and bankers take a close look at conduct risk, the global head of conduct risk at Credit Suisse discusses how employee misconduct can negatively affect not just the firm but also clients, employees and financial markets and how conduct risk intersects with operational risk management, regulatory compliance and human resources. Sponsored by Money Concepts Intl.

As we observe Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, ABA cybersecurity expert Paul Benda joins the ABA Banking Journal Podcast for a bonus episode covering: The salience of cyber-enabled fraud, such as phishing to perpetrate a business email compromise scheme; how banks are using and securing cloud computing technology, including common applications like Microsoft Office 365; and the need for increasing sophistication in third-party risk management and due diligence.