ABA Banking Journal Podcast

For high-net-worth clients, generational transitions can be fraught moments — implicating business ownership sales, control transfers, tax situations, philanthropic decisions and of course family dynamics. On the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by R&T Deposit Solutions — Todd Brockwell, president of 1900 Wealth, offers strategies for bankers and wealth managers to help their clients navigate these transitions. A veteran of family offices in central Texas, Brockwell discusses how bankers and wealth managers can effectively approach generational dynamics and difficult conversations. He also emphasizes the importance of education, especially for young people in these families. Brockwell offers practical examples of how wealth managers can add value in family transitions. He also discusses the business model of 1900 Wealth and how it interacts with its “old school” parent, Jefferson Bank, a community bank in San Antonio. Register for the ABA Wealth Management and Trust Conference, Feb. 21-23 in New Orleans.

For new couples, does the decision of how to organize their finances — separate accounts, a joint account or a blend of the two — matter? On the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by R&T Deposit Solutions — Indiana University marketing professor Jenny Olson discusses new research that provides an answer. Olson and her colleagues randomly assigned new couples to one of three conditions for a two-year period: using only separate accounts, using a joint account only or to a third group that received no instructions about the kind of accounts to use. Couples in the no-instruction group and the separate account group saw declines in relationship quality during the experiment, couples with joint accounts were “buffered” against the declines otherwise expected, she says. “Because we randomly assigned couples, we can take better steps toward understanding causality,” Olson says. “Our results really do suggest that having a joint bank account improves relationship quality.” While every couple’s financial needs are unique and separate accounts may be what’s needed in many situations, Olson discusses implications of the research for how bankers and wealth managers approach financial planning conversations with clients. Read the paper by Olson et al. in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Family-owned businesses — especially those crossing the mark of $10 million in annual revenue — often have unique banking needs. They have the freedom to make long-term investments, but they also face challenges associated with funding for growth, complex family dynamics and the need to manage liquidity events for family members, says Mikel Williamson, the newly appointed president and CEO of First Bank in the St. Louis area. On the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by R&T Deposit Solutions — Williamson discusses how $6.7 billion-asset First Bank — itself a family-owned enterprise — supports this sector through its Center for Family-Owned Businesses and wealth planning options. He also discusses the bank’s investment in core transformation and open digital banking architecture and his background in Texas banking before joining First Bank earlier this year.

“When we’re able to take banking to them, at a place where they already have trust with their employer, that’s a bridge,” says Jennifer Huffman of Atlantic Union Bank’s workplace banking product. “From there we’re able to grow that relationship.” In the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by R&T Deposit Solutions — Huffman provides an overview of Atlantic Union’s Solutions Banking product, which brings consumer accounts into more than 2,300 small and midsize business clients of the bank. She discusses how it fits into Atlantic Union’s organic growth strategy, how the program developed and how it furthers the bank’s financial inclusion and financial financial wellness goals. Huffman also discusses her career journey at Atlantic Union Bank, describes her role in the bank’s Women’s Inclusion Network and shares her tips for leadership and career development as one of ABA’s Emerging Leader Award winners for 2023.

“Banks have long supported consumers accessing their own data, but believe it should be done in a safe and sound way that provides them with control,” says ABA VP Ryan Miller. With respect to Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB “has attempted to put that into place here.” In the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by Intrafi — Miller provides an overview of the long-awaited Section 1033 proposed rule. In this episode, Fink also talks about: industry-led efforts To join ABA’s comment letter working group, contact Ryan Miller.

“Capital investment has surprised a great bit of our economy and the business community,” says TD Bank EVP Bill Fink. “As rates go up, how could we be having stronger capital investment?” In the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — the third in a series of conversations on the business outlook, sponsored by Intrafi — Fink discusses how the fiscal stimulus of the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as state economic development packages for incentivized facilities in the high-tech, semiconductor and green tech sectors, are offsetting the increase in rates. In this episode, Fink also talks about:

“Often, economic change occurs at this level of the economy,” says Umpqua Bank EVP Richard Cabrera about the middle market of the commercial sector. “While economic concerns still linger, there’s tremendous optimism.” The latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by Intrafi — continues a series of conversations on the business outlook, following last week’s episode on the perspectives of CFOs at large corporates and the upper end of the middle market. In this episode, Cabrera discusses: Business Barometercontinued strength

Corporate CFOs and finance leaders are “best leading indicators.” says Stephen Philipson, head of global markets and specialized finance at U.S. Bank. “They always have to be looking ahead.” On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by Intrafi — Philipson discusses findings from U.S. Bank’s 2023 CFO Insights Report, among them: This episode is sponsored by Intrafi Network.

The latest incarnation of ABA’s award-winning #BanksNeverAskThat anti-phishing campaign returns for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Servbank — ABA’s Amy Wertlieb talks about new resources this year, including a return of the popular scam quiz and an all-new consumer-facing site plus customizable resources in Spanish. Banks can register for free and use campaign materials all month or at any point during the year. Learn more about #BanksNeverAskThat and register.

With the availability of credit card rewards at stake under the Durbin-Marshall credit card bill, bill sponsor Sen. Roger Marshall dismisses consumer concerns about their rewards. “Rewards are for rich people,” Marshall said derisively at a Capitol Hill press conference on Wednesday in response to media questions about consumers’ preferences. Facing Marshall at the press conference just happened to be nearly 50 bankers from his home state of Kansas, in D.C. for their annual Washington Visit. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Servbank — three leaders from that delegation reflect on the press conference and what they heard. The podcast guests also discuss the urgency of banker advocacy on Durbin-Marshall, as its sponsors seek to attach it to other legislative vehicles, and they debunk false talking points to show that consumers and small businesses of all income levels use and benefit from credit card rewards. They also illuminate the stakes of the Durbin-Marshall debate for everyday credit card users. Take action to oppose credit card routing mandates

Employee resource groups have become an important part of diversity, equity and inclusion strategies at larger companies. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Servbank — two bank leaders explore how the ERGs provided by ABA for bankers to benefit from this kind of resource at banks that may not be large enough to host an ERG in-house. Among other topics, Latia Coleman and Krys Lassiter, who lead ABA’s Black Bankers ERG for African-American bankers and allies, provide tips on: mentorshipallyship Join an ABA ERG or peer group

There’s a lot going on in the innovation space in banking. On the season seven premiere of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Servbank — ABA SVP Brooke Ybarra provides an overview of hot issues in the fintech space, including generative AI solutions like ChatGPT. For example, she explores potential use cases for a wide range of generative AI solutions in banks as well as how generative AI can be leveraged by bad actors. Ybarra also talks about ABA’s new partnership with the Nashville-based Project Fintech accelerator and how that partnership, along with ABA’s longstanding venture investment strategy, help banks access the most promising early-stage technologies. She also previews the pre-conference Innovation Forum at ABA’s Annual Convention. Annual Convention

Check fraud continues to be a growing problem for banks of all sizes — and it’s not going away anytime soon. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Intrafi — ABA’s Paul Benda and James Hitchcock discuss how banks can enhance their defenses against check fraud, including new technologies and integration of investigative intelligence as check fraud and cyber fraud intersect in dangerous ways. Benda and Hitchcock also outline key dynamics of today’s check fraud trends that bankers need to know. Finally, they discuss ABA’s new and free Check Fraud Claim Directory, which provides all banks — ABA members and non-members alike — with access to contacts and formatting requirements for check fraud warranty breach claims. click here Access the ABA Check Fraud Claim Directory

Nearly 72 million Americans were covered by health savings accounts at the end of 2022, an increase of 6.5% from the year before, and HSAs are used across the income spectrum, with 75% of accountholders living in a zip code with a median household income of less than $100,000. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Intrafi — ABA’s Kevin McKechnie and HSA expert Eric Remjeske discuss the findings of the latest ABA HSA Council/Devenir survey of HSA accountholders. McKechnie and Remjeske also talk about how HSAs fit into the business models of banks of all sizes, why large numbers of community banks have become HSA funds custodians, how banks use HSA plans for their own employees and policy issues facing HSAs in the coming months and years. Read the ABA/Devenir study of HSA accountholders

Bank partnerships with colleges and universities hold promise to help banks tackle human resources challenges: creating a pipeline of rising professionals with banking exposure, and diversifying banks’ talent bases. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Intrafi — Tennessee Tech professor Alma Núñez and ABA SVP Jamie Beaulieu discuss how these partnerships work and how to make the most of them. Among other topics, Núñez and Beaulieu explain the shape of these partnerships, explore how to design them to leverage the value of experiential learning and offer best practices and recommendations for banks building these partnerships. ABA Annual Convention, Oct. 8-10 in Nashville

In today’s environment of elevated interest rates and a tech sector market correction, how is the banking-as-a-service landscape shaking out? The latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Intrafi — features a conversation with Piermont Bank’s Rodrigo Suarez on current trends in the BaaS sector (on both the bank side and the nonbank side), the BaaS business models that make the most sense and how banks can approach profitability in the BaaS space. Suarez also discusses what it’s like to jump to the de novo banking sector from a nonbank fintech like Piermont Bank and talks about his experience as a recent graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

The latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by Intrafi — features the winners of ABA’s Distinguished Service Awards for Risk and Compliance. Jim Bedsole, chief risk and compliance officer at BankSouth, won the 29th annual award for compliance professionals, while Joanne Campbell, EVP and chief risk officer at Camden National Bank, won the inaugural distinguished service award for risk management. Prior to receiving the awards at ABA’s Risk and Compliance Conference in San Antonio, Bedsole and Campbell were interviewed about:

Take a deep dive into the evolving world of transaction monitoring with Ted Sausen, an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) expert from NICE Actimize. Ted provides expert insights into the shifting AML paradigm, shedding light on recent innovations and their implications for your financial institution. Are you ready for the future of AML detection? Discover which game-changing technologies are set to transform the fight against financial crime.

The cover story of the latest issue of the ABA Banking Journal features an unprecedentedly transparent look into what happens inside a financial institution during and after a ransomware attack. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by Intrafi — Evan Sparks shares the true story of this anonymized bank and how it tackled what could have become a crippling ransomware attack. Sparks discusses:

First quarter earnings reports are done, and bank shareholder meetings are currently going on — and rarely have these activities been in the public spotlight as now in the wake of three significant bank failures. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by Intrafi — ABA Banking Journal Contributing Editor Paul Davis discusses: