Correspondent Blog

Many bankers have one-on-one meetings with their direct reports, and they are painful to observe when it comes to effectiveness and efficiency. They either turn into a status update or a therapy session. The problem is few bankers were taught how to conduct an effective one-on-one. After talking with more than 20 top performing banks,…

In recent articles (HERE) we discussed the importance of commercial loan prepayment speeds.  We explained why loan prepayment speed is a major factor influencing a bank’s profitability, and how national banks use historical analysis, quantitative modeling, and predictive analytics to structure loans to increase loan retention (decrease loan prepayments). We also outlined how various input…

If there was ever a skill to learn in banking in 2026, it’s artificial intelligence. It is impacting every facet of banking from Amortization to Zero-balance accounts. Since it is likely your bank restricts AI, it then falls to you to learn it on your own to help inform your bank on its use. In…

In a recent article (HERE) we discussed the importance of loan prepay speeds.  We explained why loan prepayment speed is a major factor influencing a bank’s profitability, how national banks use historical analysis, quantitative modeling, and predictive analytics to structure loans to increase loan retention (decrease loan prepayments).  We introduced the crucial factors influencing commercial…

If there is one battlefield in banking that a commercial bank needs to win to profitably grow, it is treasury management functionality. Because treasury management is tied to deposit balances, fees and retention, getting this product right is critical to capture high balance and profitable customers. In this article we review current customer expectations and…

When pricing and structuring commercial loans, few community bankers consider factors that affect commercial loan prepayment speeds. Further, even many sophisticated loan pricing models do a poor job of modeling commercial prepayment speeds. But loan prepayment speed is a major factor influencing a bank’s profitability and, in this article, we will outline why this is…

No matter what you think of NY Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s politics, his campaign is worth studying for bank marketing lessons. Bank marketing has entered a new phase, and many institutions are not ready for it. For decades, banks have relied on a familiar playbook: website, emails, branch signage, events, sponsorships, and the occasional brand refresh….

The dominant market story for 2026 is inflation is cooling, and employment market is uncertain, so the Federal Reserve will keep trimming rates until policy looks comfortably “neutral.”  But the current evidence points to a less comfortable possibility: the Fed may be done cutting for a while, and if inflation risk re-accelerates or employment levels…

One reason why banks have efficiency ratios over 40% is because they install a bunch of actions – workflow, technology, and strategy, which assume that banks need to operate in silos. Commercial banking has one set of solutions, while retail has another. Banks keep data in 30+ various places, have 40+ different data models, and…

Community banks are starting to embrace loan hedging as an effective tool for risk management, loan production, and fee income generation in commercial lending. These banks have concluded that using interest rate hedges on commercial loans has several benefits to the bank that include interest rate risk mitigation, credit enhancement, pricing discipline, increased borrower retention…

When it comes to bank marketing, there is usually a good time and a bad time to market bank products. Marketing during December, for example, is expensive and 40x harder to convert customers compared to September. Marketing savings, money market, or certificate of deposit accounts during tax time is a good move, while marketing treasury…

With regard to commercial real estate, an assumable commercial loan allows a buyer of the property to take over the seller’s existing mortgage, keeping the basic economics of the loan in place. The basic economics of the loan include rate, term, prepayment provisions, and other key features. However, the basic economics may be adjusted to…