Correspondent Blog

Once a loan is booked, it needs to be reviewed over time for changes in credit. The problem is that many banks have only one type of commercial loan review.  This standard review usually requires approximately eight hours of work from credit, loan administration, and management. When this effort is combined with data expense, the…

August Inflation and Retail Sales A couple first-tier economic releases will likely garner the most attention from traders this week as the Fed goes into its quiet period before the September 22 FOMC meeting. First, the August CPI numbers will be released tomorrow and the moderation of springtime price spikes that began in July is…

One trick every bank lender should have up their sleeve is the ability to meet a client’s maturity and amortization targets but limit the risk of the bank by adjusting the rate on a loan. This tactic is especially germane in today’s market as certain sectors in certain cities are likely reaching the end of…

Plenty of Positives Remain in Jobs Picture The August employment report was generally considered a disappointment with headline job growth missing forecasts with 235,000 jobs created versus 733,000 expected. The rise in virus cases gets its fair share of blame, and with Leisure and Hospitality job growth flat versus a 350,000 six-month average, there is…

Every community bank has a set of financial statement reports and ratio analyses to assess underwriting and credit risk.  The advent of credit spreading software such as CreditQuest has made this job very easy.   However, few banks take the extra step of modifying their reports and analysis based on the current economic cycle and market…

Show a potential banking customer information, and their brain will quickly try to organize and synthesize the information. The easier the information is to organize, it turns out the more the viewer will like your ad. Our own Dr. Chris Janiszewski from the University of Florida and Dr. Dan King of the University of Singapore…

Aftermath of the August Jobs Report The August Jobs report had a little bit for everyone, hawks and doves. On the dove side the obvious big miss on the headline job growth number led the way. The lowest job gain since January fed the narrative that the increase in delta variant virus cases had slowed…

Will August Employment Report Bring September Taper Announcement? The August employment report will be released at 8:30 am ET and while a tapering announcement may hang in the balance with this report, it’s more clear after Jackson Hole that the health of the labor market will be key in determining when rate hikes will commence…

When it comes to setting risk for bank strategic planning, contrary to popular belief, risk isn’t something to avoid. Risk is not even an element to minimize. This is counterintuitive as most bankers are taught to avoid and minimize risk. For that matter, most regulators, board members, and investors also reinforce this notion. Take for…

Because competition is intense and every lender is looking for a competitive advantage, at SouthState Bank, we strive to develop lending tools to help our bankers win more loans.  A better product, faster service, or insightful advice can translate into additional loans, better credit spreads, or additional fee income.  In this article, we explore our…

August Jobs Numbers and Another Read on Consumer Confidence With Jackson Hole now in the virtual rearview mirror, the market will turn to some economic numbers to ascertain when the Fed may start to institute tapering. While the September 22 FOMC meeting could have a taper announcement it’s more likely to come at the November…

What Will We Learn From a Virtual Jackson Hole Today? The waiting is just about over for Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s keynote address at a virtual Jackson Hole. His prepared remarks will be released at 10am ET but that hasn’t stopped several regional Fed presidents  from front-running the chairman and declaring that tapering should begin…