The Future Day of the Community Banker
Executive Summary: To survive in an increasingly competitive and regulation-intense world, community banks and their bankers’ activities need to change significantly. Let’s look into the near future and…
Why Banks Fail at Business Banking . . . and What to Do About It, Part II
Executive Summary: To succeed in business banking, banks must address the multiple internal challenges that block progress. The relatively few players with the discipline and stamina to do so will…
Why Banks Fail at Business Banking … and What to Do About it, Part I
Executive Summary: Despite the importance and economic attractiveness of small businesses to banks, the leaders of many business banking groups fail, with these managers frequently moving on internally or out…
Defining C&I Lending – A Primer
Executive Summary. Both within the U.S. and overseas, banks are increasingly emphasizing commercial and industrial lending in lieu of their historic focus on commercial real estate. However, they need to…
Keep Calm and Carry On
Executive Summary: Faced with slow growth, a sometimes overzealous regulatory environment, and an increasingly skeptical customer base, commercial banks need to refocus on what they do well and what differentiates…
Banks Can Still Generate Organic Growth
Executive Summary: Many U.S. banks view the present environment as one in which growth whether in assets or the bottom line is particularly difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. However,…
Building Niche Leadership in Lending
Executive Summary: The current business environment makes new lending problematic, as many traditional products provide limited growth. However, now is the time for management to evaluate and prepare for selective…
The Coming M&A Explosion
This week Banking Strategies magazine published our article discussing what we believe is the coming wave of consolidation in the banking industry. Sellers, the management of acquiring banks, and Private…
The Critical Importance of Customer Segmentation
Executive Summary: Customer segmentation serves as one of the main foundations of strategy development and its successful execution. Too often, however, segmentation analysis fails to uncover the key issues that…
FDIC Shared Loss Update: Is the Trade Over?
Executive Summary: The FDIC continues to close failed banks. However, many bankers and private equity executives believe the investment opportunity has changed substantially over the past year. More small deals…