On the Balance Sheet®

In the highly anticipated season 5 opener, the guys are joined by Claudia Sahm, Chief Economist at New Century Advisors and architect of the famous “Sahm Rule.” Claudia provides her thoughts on the resilience of the US economy, key elements to be aware of on the unemployment and inflation fronts, Fed rate expectations and whether we are at risk of a policy error, and why she remains cautiously optimistic for 2026. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In the final episode of the season, Vin and Zach jump into a discussion on the recent Fed Meeting and the outlook for rates in 2026. The guys also probe how various rate outlooks could impact deposit and loan strategy, as well as thoughts on recent Q4 ALCO meetings, budgets, and positive industry margin trends. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Vin, Zach, and DCG colleague Mike Mitchell are joined by Dan Yates, CEO and Co-Founder of Endeavor Bank located in Southern California. Dan shares lessons learned from training programs early on in his career and how he parlayed that education into the formation of two de-novo banks. He speaks about Endeavor Bank's focus on "Consultative Banking," and how the bank's partnership with small- and medium-sized businesses is mutually beneficial. He also discusses Endeavor Bank's adherence to the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and how that framework permeates through all facets of the organization. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Dan talks about leaving a lasting legacy in his communities and filling the void left by larger bank consolidations. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Cole Watson, CFO of Hoosier Hills Credit Union (IN), joins Vin, Zach, and DCG colleague Mike Mitchell for a terrific episode 10 of season 4. The guys dig into Cole’s background as he transitioned into the banking world post-GFC, the importance of having a “curious mind,” initiating strategic actions at ALCO, and how FIs should embrace culture shifts as deposit gathering becomes more and more important. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

DCG Deposit Consultant Bill Guthrie joins Vin and Zach on a Fed Decision Day to dust off the deposit falling rate playbook and dive into funding strategies. The trio explores industry deposit trends and what they mean for community institutions, NMD and CD balance and rate expectations, the importance of harnessing your own data, and how to make sure your institution is not “flying blind” if more rate cuts unfold. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In our eight episode of the season, Clay Adams, President & CEO of Mascoma Bank (NH), joins Vin, Zach, and Joe Kennerson. The guys dig into Clay’s background in the private sector and on the Mascoma Board before emerging as the bank’s CEO, Peter Drucker and Daniel Pink, the role of AI and stablecoins in banking’s future, as well as how the bank created their own SaaS platform (“Stratum”) designed to modernize the technological environment of financial institutions. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In this episode, Hal Horvat, President & CEO of Centreville Bank ($3B mutual savings bank in Rhode Island), joins Vin, Zach and DCG colleague Justin Bakst. The foursome delves into why Hal never intended to have a career in banking, relationship-focused loan and deposit growth, making a nearly 200-year-old bank an "employer of choice," and how Centerville successfully partnered with professional soccer team Rhode Island Football Club. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Chris Low, Chief Economist at FHN Financial, rejoins the guys for a live appearance from DCG’s 41st Annual Balance Sheet Management Conference in Boston. Within this comprehensive conversation, Chris expounds on the impact of tariffs and the nation’s debt on long-term interest rates, the Sahm Rule and unemployment expectations, housing market trends along with bank lending and credit implications, and answers the question of whether we have seen Jerome Powell’s last rate cut. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In this episode, the guys are joined by JP Lapointe, Chief Financial Officer of Needham Bank ($5B institution in the Boston metropolitan area), and DCG colleague Jeff Reynolds. The four dig into JP’s career progression from Wolf and Company to Northeast Bank to his current role at Needham. JP also expands on the nuances of working for a "specialty asset" business, why banking cannabis is not for the "faint of heart," Needham’s recent IPO and the "perfect time to go public," and why their customers have direct access to the CEO's personal cell phone. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In this special episode, Darling Consulting Group President & CEO Matt Pieniazek joins for a C-suite-focused “fireside chat” to share his insights and perspectives on managing earnings and balance sheet risks in this highly volatile and uncertain environment. Matt reflects on key realities, challenges, and opportunities, and also addresses some very relevant current strategies for managing an institution’s risks in general – and lending and deposit customers in particular. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In this episode, the guys are joined by Nathan Stovall, the Director of Financial Institutions Research for S&P Global. Nathan shares his observations on deposit trends, how banks are the "thermometers" of local economies, his outlook for M&A activity, and why it is so important for banks to "not sit still" in an ever-changing banking landscape. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

DCG Managing Director Joe Kennerson returns to talk about the top 5 areas risk managers should be discussing as 2025 progresses. Joe, Zach, and Vinny dig deep into deposit and lending trends, potential margin restoration, hedging, and bond portfolios making a comeback. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In the first episode of Season 4, Dr. Lacy Hunt, Chief Economist and Executive Vice President of the Hoisington Investment Management, rejoins the show for a timely and engaging discussion on what to expect from markets in 2025. Lacy delves into the reasons he would "take the under" on inflation, GDP, and unemployment versus Blue Chip economic consensus forecasts, why the US is "the strongest ship in the sea", how tariffs are not inflationary, and where he thinks interest rates will move this year. Disclaimer: Dr. Hunt's views expressed on the show are for educational purposes and not solicitation or marketing for Hoisington Investment Management Company. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In the final episode of Season 3, Vin and Zach are joined by fellow colleague Jeff Reynolds for a terrific discussion with Dale Oberkfell, former CFO of Midwest Bank Center in Missouri. Dale shares some of his lessons from a 40-year career ranging from his early days as a CPA, his time with the FHLB of Des Moines to his experiences from 10 years as a CFO driving digital transformation at a multi-billion dollar bank. To that end, he shares the importance of establishing a separate “Brand” from the legacy bank, how to manipulate the digital “funnel” and the importance of removing “roadblocks” from the customer experience. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In this month’s episode, Peter Boockvar, Chief Investment Officer of Bleakley Financial Group, visits with Vin, Zach, and DCG’s Justin Bakst to discuss potential economic implications from the recent US Presidential election. The four dive into the key policy areas Peter thinks will be most impactful over the next few years, expectations for our “two-lane highway” economic system, why the Fed should be taking the recent bond market activity seriously, and prospects for deregulation as it pertains to the banking industry. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In this month's episode, we are joined by Matt McCombs, President and CEO of Vibrant Credit Union in Moline, Illinois. Matt discusses his early days of cutting the front lawn of his father’s credit union and spending 180 days a year on the road as a consultant before ultimately landing at Vibrant and leading that organization for the last 10+ years. Matt also shares his experiences from seven mergers in the span of 20 months, perspectives on the commoditization and fragmentation occurring in the financial services industry today, and what the “balance sheet of the future” looks like. Tune in to hear Matt discuss why the only way to drastically change the business model of an institution is to “run towards the storm” and be the force of change in an industry “running out of runway.” For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In episode 9, the guys are joined by DCG Quantitative Consultant Chase Ogden. The trio investigates a panoply of subjects in the MRM space, including the importance of building out a data strategy to promote better decision-making, thoughts from the CECL frontlines, and why there is always room for bankers to better utilize quantitative results ("with humility”). For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In episode 8, Vin and Zach are joined by the one and only DCG Managing Director Frank Farone. The trio discusses five key themes all bankers should be thinking about if the Fed does begin cutting rates soon, hitting all aspects of the balance sheet, and more! For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In the 7th episode of season 3, Vin and Zach are joined by the dynamic Jesse Schwamb of Members 1st FCU in Pennsylvania, a top 50 CU by asset size in the United States. The three embark on an energetic discussion of how Jesse and his team are improving the ancient business of financial intermediation, diving into topics including: his passion for using data and technology to personalize the money experience, jumping from first- to second-level thinking, the ubiquity of fintech, and much more. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Chris Low, Chief Economist at FHN Financial, joins the guys for a live appearance from DCG’s 40th Annual Balance Sheet Management Conference in Boston. Throughout a sweeping economic discussion, Chris digs into the mindset of the Federal Reserve and what to expect from their upcoming meetings, inflation trends and why “time” could be the answer, confusion within the unemployment data, resilient GDP, and the outlook for lending in the banking industry. For more insights and ideas, visit DCG at DarlingConsulting.com or follow us on LinkedIn.