Correspondent Blog

If you ever wanted to know the most popular strategic planning initiative for a bank over the last three years, it is this one – generate more non-interest income. An estimated 30% of banks have this as their focus. The funny part is that despite this being a major conversation and the source of many…

For decades, community banks have structured term loans as 5-year fixed-rate facilities.  In the last six months, the percentage of 5-year fixed-rate loans at community banks has increased by approximately 25%, but this same bucket has held steady at larger banks (those over $25B in assets).  We believe that now is the right time for…

Both the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie) have aggressive multifamily lending programs and comprise the bulk of the market. Freddie’s total multifamily finance activity in Q1/21 was $14B, and Fannie Mae’s was $21.5B.  Some bankers complain that taxpayers’ dollars are creating an unfair playing field for financing…

Our previous publications discussed current banking industry dynamics for loan pricing, how community banks are responding, and some winning strategies for community bankers.  We contend that excess liquidity and tepid loan demand are the main culprits in driving community bank net interest margin (NIM) to the lowest level in recent history.  With loan-to-deposit ratios dropping…

One of the unspoken cults in America is youth sports. Youth sports is a perfect place to project your adult shortcomings, fears, dreams, hopes, and aspirations onto your child, all under the guise of teaching teamwork. If uncontrolled, it can become an obsession, and the next thing you know, you are flying to some distant…