Community bank CEOs truly stand out from the crowd when they possess a contagious enthusiasm that motivates sales teams, a discerning approach to hiring and an insatiable desire to innovate.
It's certainly true that as customers conduct fewer basic transactions in branches, those branches will see reduced foot traffic. But branches will remain relevant so long as they have helpful and intelligent people determined to help customers manage their finances.
Most banks are interchangeable in the eyes of the average consumer. But a recent survey finds that mission-oriented banks distinguish themselves with greater employee diversity and a stronger commitment to lending in low- and moderate-income communities.
Banks need to keep a lid on personnel-related expenses. But many of them are missing out on opportunities to dig deeper into the data and determine the appropriate hours and staffing for their retail locations.
The best-performing banks are those that continue to invest in growth, rather than those that fixate on containing expenses, writes Capital Performance Group's Kevin Halsey.
A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including the financial inequalities exposed by the Baltimore riots and whether the changes to Dodd-Frank proposed in Sen. Richard Shelby's regulatory relief plan go too far.
A dysfunctional culture can harm banks' long-term viability and share value growth. Luckily, these problems can be fixed by encouraging team accountability, empowering employees to make decisions, and showing appreciation for staffers.
The regulators have spelled it out: If a bank wants relief from onerous compliance requirements, a path to get there is to use simple, basic practices for credit risk management.
Banking regulators will never conclude that regulation is actually hurting community banks until they study the issue and come to that conclusion on their own.
