Have You Ever Been Arrested Before?
This was both an unexpected and unwanted question. Back from a three-week trip to Chile and Colombia, my Global Entry card failed to register at the kiosk. Not the first time. I was directed to…
Reengaging
Taking a multi-month hiatus from writing this newsletter has allowed me to think about the purpose of writing about the financial services industry. Columns often served as a brief therapeutic session…
Run! Hide! The Strategic Planning Cycle Begins Again Soon
Even though we are not at the halfway point of 2024, at many banks, staffers have begun to prepare for yet another round of strategic planning. But my…
Shoot the Dog!
The media has been having a field day with the revelations made by Governor Kristi Noem in her just published biography. A Time magazine article summarizes the story in the headline…
Public Relations vs. Business Reality
I recently received a LinkedIn message from a former colleague who had attended an industry meeting on ESG issues. My first reaction was surprise that these meetings are still being held, since…
Even I Don’t Like Consultants
Two weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal published an article whose title summarized the story’s bent: ”Consultants Are Paid to Fix Businesses. Why Can’t They Fix Their Own?” Basically…
Does a Zombie Bank Know It’s a Zombie?
In recent years most of us have seen movies in which zombies stagger about, lurching toward their next human victim. Probably they don’t think of themselves…
Getting Fired!
A consultant gets “fired” all the time. Projects either end as scheduled or a client determines that the fees paid exceed the value provided. Sometimes clients just run out of money.
Another One Bites the Dust
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a once prestigious bank that, tied at least in part to its acquisition by a much larger bank, suffered loan losses, organizational changes, and regulatory issues. This time…
Note to Bankers: “You Can’t Handle the Truth!”
Last week I wrote a column about how a once prominent bank in effect self-destructed. That column will be the first of several concerning how banks and finance…
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