South State Correspondent

DECEMBER 18, 2014

'This week, we spoke on the future of business at one of the best bank customer events we have attended. CTBC Bank ($2.3B, CA) put on a stellar show and today we break down the events elements that will give you some ideas for your next customer “thank you” lunch. No matter what your budget or bank asset size, the goal is to create an event that is focused on the customer, but subtly highlights the achievements and capabilities of the bank. .

CA 286

CA 286

Abrigo

DECEMBER 12, 2014

'Do you recall your first few years post-grad? You may yearn for fewer responsibilities (and wrinkles) and more “free” time of ages 22 through your mid to late 20s, or you may remember it less fondly in a small apartment with many roommates and less in the bank. No matter if that time in your life skews positively or otherwise, your career was in a very different place than it is now.

Resources 236

Resources Survey Tools Company 236

Celent Banking

DECEMBER 30, 2014

'Everyone in banking is talking about “Digital.” Celent has hosted fascinating roundtables on the topic, and it’s the basis of one of our three themes. And yet, there’s a startling lack of consensus on what Digital means. There’s a famous proverb of a group of people in a dark room who touch different parts of an elephant; each describes a completely different experience.

Digital Banking 199

Digital Banking Retail Groups Report 199

Finer Points

DECEMBER 11, 2014

'Reasonable people can disagree. I’ve always firmly believed that individuals can look at the same set of facts and come to differing conclusions without necessarily holding any lingering animosity or disrespect. So when ICBA announced its strong concerns with the nomination of Antonio Weiss for a leading role at the Treasury Department, we did so […].

Washington 186

Washington Community Bank Community 186

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Groups

SWBC's LenderHub

DECEMBER 29, 2014

'Have you ever had a moment like this?

Lending 145

Lending 145

South State Correspondent

DECEMBER 17, 2014

'When we tell banks they need to get to a 35% efficiency ratio to be competitive in the future they look at us like we are crazier than an outhouse rat. Let’s set the branch debate aside (the largest functional cost area) as that is basically a philosophical argument. Let’s just look at your next largest functional cost – loan processing. We get challenged all the time by banks telling us they are “already at full capacity” and “we are already lean.

US 278

US 278

Abrigo

DECEMBER 16, 2014

'Lending standards continue to relax, according to data from the OCC’s 2014 Survey of Credit Underwriting Practices. This type of easing is similar to that experienced between 2004 and 2006, the time period leading up to the financial crisis, which many attribute to inadequate lending standards. Source: OCC 2014 Survey of Credit Underwriting Practices, December 2014.

Lending 223

Lending Survey Training Retail 223

Celent Banking

DECEMBER 11, 2014

'This is the time of the year when we begin to cast our eye back to 2014 as well as forward to 2015, and reflect on the top trends we are seeing in the market. One of the constants over the last few years in our annual Top Trends in Retail Payments report (coming up again in January 2015) has been our commentary on the ups and (mostly) downs of NFC and contactless payments.

Apple 177

Apple User Experience Trends Retail 177

Finer Points

DECEMBER 19, 2014

'The following post first appeared on American Banker’s BankThink blog. It is reprinted below with American Banker’s permission. By Cornelius Hurley Dec. 18, 2014 In his impactful book Don’t Think of an Elephant, cognitive scientist George Lakoff illustrates how framing a discussion from the beginning is key to winning the argument. No one has learned […].

Washington 140

Washington Community Bank Community 140

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Analysis

SWBC's LenderHub

DECEMBER 4, 2014

'When coaching our financial institution clients on how to sell SWBC’s products (like GAP, MMP, credit life insurance, etc.), our training team encourages participants to provide ongoing feedback. We want to know if the tactics and messaging we taught them worked in a real-life sales situation—and, more importantly, we want to know if they didn’t work.

Training 144

Training Management Marketing How To 144

CFPB Monitor

DECEMBER 17, 2014

'Anthony C. Kaye Congress has unanimously approved legislation to extend until January 2016 a provision of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) that prohibits foreclosing on a servicemember’s house for one year following the servicemember’s return from active duty. The CFPB has made SCRA compliance a priority issue. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse proposed S.2404 , known as the Foreclosure Relief and Extension for Servicemembers Act of 2014, last May.

Leadership 133

Leadership Policies Compliance National 133

South State Correspondent

DECEMBER 11, 2014

'It is hard to tickle the cockles of a banker’s heart with a holiday gift mostly because most bankers don’t know where the cockles of their heart are. Contrary to what the press might have everyone believe, we do have them and the reality is they are outsized. Banker’s, as a generalization, are among the nicest, most caring, patriotic and honest as you will find in any industry.

Industry 255

Industry 255

Abrigo

DECEMBER 14, 2014

'Many would point to imprudent lending standards as a leading cause of the financial crisis of 2008, and in turn, financial institution regulators have since bolstered lending standards and capital thresholds as a preventive measure against a similar crisis. But recent news from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac might suggest that the market is inching closer towards pre-recession lending practices.

Guidelines 223

Guidelines Payments Lending Capital 223

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Lending

Celent Banking

DECEMBER 22, 2014

'How much savings in back-end processing costs do real-time core banking systems really offer? A 2011 Celent report entitled Why Change Cores? was written in the wake of the news that BBVA Compass had decided to convert to Accenture’s Alnova real-time core platform. At the time, the analyst community seemed to agree that we were approaching a tipping point for widespread core system renewal.

System 176

System Maine Report Operations 176

Jack Henry

DECEMBER 17, 2014

'Author: Pat True, RTrue@profitstars.com.

Lending 122

Lending 122

Banking 2020

DECEMBER 17, 2014

'As 2014 comes to an end, we’ve been reviewing the trends, articles and news that kept us talking this past year and started thinking about what will come in 2015. As readers, you indicated your interest in this year’s top trends on the site including financial regulations on marijuana , banking profitability , online-only banks and the mobile banking revolution.

Digital Banking 111

Digital Banking Trends US Regulation 111

CFPB Monitor

DECEMBER 23, 2014

'Barbara S. Mishkin With the publication of the CFPB’s proposed prepaid card rule in today’s Federal Register , the clock is now running on filing comments. Comments must be filed on or before March 23, 2015. The CFPB had issued the proposal on November 13. As published in the Federal Register, the proposal is reduced from its original length of 870 pages to a “mere” 234 pages.

Cards 111

Cards 111

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Operations

South State Correspondent

DECEMBER 9, 2014

'2015 is poised to be a critical time for banks. Changing interest rates, credit spreads and industry economics add up to an environment where boards can really make a difference in a bank’s future. Here are five areas that are often overlooked, but are conversations critical to have in the name of good corporate governance: .

Industry 249

Industry 249

Abrigo

DECEMBER 8, 2014

'The allowance for loan and lease losses is a pivotal part of a financial institution’s well-being. While regulatory guidance outlines the framework for the methodology, institutions can be at a loss for resources regarding more granular details of the ALLL calculation: • What steps can I take to reduce regulatory scrutiny? • How will impending regulatory changes impact my methodology, and how should I prepare?

Resources 223

Resources Community Regulation Industry 223

Celent Banking

DECEMBER 7, 2014

'I’ve just returned from my last conference of the year, the excellent and intimate NetFinance Interactive held in rainy (sic) San Diego. I’ve been talking about the importance of emotions, feelings and the ineffable in banking for the last two years, and this conference was the first time that this theme has been widespread among presenters and in conversation.

San Diego 173

San Diego Conference Google Retail 173

Banking 4 Tomorrow

DECEMBER 24, 2014

'2014 was the biggest year in FinTech by far with billions being invested globally, which is to be expected in a global growth sector. But how much was invested globally in FinTech this year? It depends on how you classify FinTech. StrategyEye estimated that there was $2.8Bn raised in 2014 via venture capital investments in […].

Customer Experience 106

Customer Experience Google Fintech Innovation 106

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Cards

Gonzobanker

DECEMBER 2, 2014

'It’s been a good three weeks since the new iPhone 6 arrived in the mail. It was a bittersweet moment as I had regretfully given up my iPhone 4S, primarily out of the geeky obsession that it was rumored to be the last product in which Steve Jobs was able to oversee development from start to finish. True or not, it led me to keep that phone much longer than my Samsung-loving family could bear.

Apple 103

Apple Cards Mobile Strategy 103

CFPB Monitor

DECEMBER 16, 2014

'Barbara S. Mishkin Through its Project Catalyst , the CFPB’s initiative for facilitating innovation in consumer-friendly financial products and services, the CFPB has announced a new research pilot using insights from behavioral economics and an American Express trial program to evaluate the effectiveness of certain practices to encourage prepaid card users to develop regular saving behavior.

Maine 111

Maine Cards Strategy Innovation 111

South State Correspondent

DECEMBER 8, 2014

'It is an age old tradition in banking that management firsts asks the business lines for their budgets and then takes those budgetary estimates and turns them into revenue and/or profit targets for the sake of compensation. While having sales goals is better than not having goals, basing the goals off budget hurts the budgetary process and results in sub-optimal sales incentive response to drive behavior.

Management 249

Management 249

Abrigo

DECEMBER 3, 2014

'The “most wonderful time of the year” is officially in hyper drive. The hand-print turkeys are now a distant memory and you’ve fought your way out of the Thanksgiving food coma. Before you know it, you’ll be ringing in 2015 and busy season will have you funneling coffee instead of sipping on egg nog. But not before the annual office holiday party.

Phoenix 210

Phoenix Exercises Taxes US 210

Speaker: Brian Muse-McKenney, Chief Revenue Officer & Matt Simester, Cards and Payments Expert

In today’s world of social media, dating apps, and remote work, businesses risk becoming irrelevant (or getting "ghosted") if they fail to meet the evolving needs of Gen Z consumers. Credit cards with flexible payment options, especially for young adults with little-to-no credit history, are a particularly important and valuable solution for this generation.

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