Correspondent Blog

FOMC Meets as Global Growth Questions Swirl The FOMC meeting concludes this afternoon and we provide some early expectations of what we think we’ll see from the meeting in the sections below. With an updated economic and rate forecast quarter-end meetings always have their fair share of intrigue, even when policy is expected to remain…

Investors Focused on Wednesday’s FOMC Meeting Quarter-end FOMC meetings always carry a bit more drama than other meetings, even when a change in rates or policy are not expected, and this meeting should be no different. With refreshed economic forecasts and the infamous dot plots the meeting will provide plenty of information for investors to…

Upbeat Retail Sales Revives Thoughts of Taper Talk Next Week Just when we thought it safe to conclude taper talks will not be a part of the September FOMC meeting along comes the August Retail Sales Report to bring it back front and center. The sales numbers were better-than-expected and that pressured Treasury prices lower…

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…