BAI Banking Strategies

22.05 - What small businesses need from their banks now

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After more than a year of extreme stress and uncertainty, America's small businesses are gathering momentum in a bustling economy. Patrick Smith, he...

22.04 - Bank branches: Form and function for the future

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The branch isn’t going away but it is evolving. PWCampbell CEO Jim Caliendo offers his thoughts on where branches are headed – what they’ll look...

22.03 - Impact investors seek to do well by doing good

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For many investors, their expected return is more than maximum profitability. They also want their capital to produce a positive social impact. Ron H...

22.02 - Why multi-loan preapprovals are the right tool for 2021

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The lending opportunities in 2021 are starting to look different from 2020's. How can financial services organizations benefit from a customer's new ...

22.01 - Better tech is the key to better banking regulation

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Protecting customers and staying onside with the regulators are perennial challenges for financial services organizations. How is technology helping n...

21.08 - What bankers need to know, generation by generation

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New BAI research is out with detailed portraits of each generation, from baby boomers to Gen Z, and what its members want from their financial service...

21.07 - Digital transformation, now and in the future

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Banks and credit unions have digitally adapted to the changes that came with COVID, though each one at a different speed and intensity. Danny Baker a...

21.06 - The case for wealth management at community banks

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Community banks may not have size going for them, but they do have something else of great value — deep relationships with their customers. Mike Ke...

21.05 - Rethinking credit risk in underserved communities

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Accessing capital can be a challenge for small-business owners in lower-income communities, largely because of how lenders assess the credit risk of t...

21.04 - Reimagining the branch in a digital age

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Banking is speeding headlong into its digital future. So where does that leave that old industry workhorse, the branch? Jon Voorhees, director of dis...

21.03 - Banks will benefit from new brokered deposit rules

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The FDIC has made some changes aimed at streamlining the rules governing brokered deposits. Tom Nelson, chief investment officer at R&T Deposit Solut...

21.02 - Thinking small can lead to big digital results

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For banks and credit unions, the idea of undertaking a digital transformation can be daunting. Our podcast guest says it doesn’t have to be. Jim Ba...

21.01 - Innovation with a social conscience

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

BAI's 2020 Global Innovation Awards for are out, and the winners include a Texas-based bank that’s among the first to create its own opportunity zon...

20.08 - 3 new regulatory priorities for DC in 2021

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

With all of the big political shifts in Washington this year, we can expect to see big shifts in financial regulation as well. Jo Ann Barefoot, CEO a...

20.07 - Bank customers want an emotional connection

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Banks and credit unions want very much to be the go-to source for their customers’ financial services needs. The key to landing that role is establi...

20.06 - Chat banking: Meeting customers where they are

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When a bank or credit union considers where to open a branch, it looks for a good location to connect with customers. The same line of thinking works ...

20.05 - Appraising the mortgage industry’s diversity, equity and inclusion

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Like other financial services providers, mortgage lenders are working to make their staffs as diverse as the different communities in which they opera...

20.04 - Fighting the fraudsters at the front door

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Financial services organizations have lost many billions of dollars to fraud in recent years, with one of the most lucrative schemes involving identit...

20.03 - Serving small businesses better: What’s in it for banks?

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 has made many small businesses realize that they can benefit from more banking services than just basic checking and savings. Norm DeLuca, g...

20.02 - Banking in 2021: Cold start, bold finish?

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’re all counting on COVID vaccines creating a brighter 2021, and that includes the banking industry. On this week’s podcast, prominent bank an...

20.01 - The case for updating and upgrading bank bill pay

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The big spending of the holiday season is over and now it’s time to pay the bills. Some of those bills will be taken care of using bank bill-pay ser...

19.07 - Shifts in trust and other emerging trends to prioritize in 2021

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’re just a couple of weeks from flipping the calendar to 2021, so naturally many are wondering what the new year may bring — though perhaps with...

19.06 - Delighting customers by digitizing the back office

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Banks and credit unions have invested heavily to enhance the customer experience on customer-facing channels to keep pace with fintechs and other comp...

19.05 - COVID-19 as a real-life stress test for credit risk

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Financial institutions have experience dealing with recessions that hammer businesses and elevate default risk among borrowers. But 2020 offers a new ...

19.04 - A focus on team and mission makes veterans a good fit for financial institutions

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Many banks run ad campaigns highlighting how they serve customers in the military community, but we hear less about banks and credit unions hiring fro...

19.03 - Growing branch value while shrinking the footprint

03 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bank branches were already evolving when the coronavirus arrived last spring, and the pandemic has only added to that state of change. Sue Dowd,  se...

19.02 - Going digital without losing the human touch

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Perhaps nothing in banking has been more disrupted by COVID-19 than customer service, and it’s still unclear which of today’s workarounds will bec...

19.01 - Digital’s future: A new line of business, not just a bolt-on

20 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of COVID-19's key impacts on banking is an acceleration of the industry’s transition away from the branch and toward the digital device. While t...

18:08 - Playing offense and defense against fraudsters

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With the arrival of COVID-19, fraudsters and other criminals have put even more of a bull’s eye on financial institutions. Greater reliance on digit...

18.07 - Financial services is an industry ripe for innovation

22 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 has forced banks and credit unions to embrace short-term change -- the health of their businesses depends on it. These changes create opportu...

18.06 - How one big bank is doing DEI

15 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The national focus on inequality is driving greater efforts to address long-standing issues around diversity, equity and inclusion in the financial se...

18.05 - Using EPM to plan an optimal go-forward strategy

08 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What are the key factors driving a financial institution’s profitability? How do banks set strategy and then support it? What are the products and s...

18.04 - COVID-19 as a catalyst for contactless cards

01 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 has everyone hyper-aware of many things that most of us didn’t think twice about before. Take cash, for instance. Who wants to touch paper ...

18.03 - Survival guide for smaller banks: "Find your niche and do it well"

25 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Whether measured by new account growth, deposit growth or deposit share, a handful of America’s biggest financial institutions dominate retail banki...

18.02 - Banks can do more for small business during COVID-19

18 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Economically speaking, COVID-19 has been particularly virulent for small businesses. We’ve all seen the “closed for good” signs on the doors of ...

18.01 - Connecting with customers, Amazon style

11 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Online retail powerhouse Amazon knows a thing or two about deepening a customer relationship and using those stronger ties to generate more revenue. F...

17.08 - A new way to detect bias in banking

21 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When people interact with a financial institution, they expect to be treated fairly. It’s not too much to ask, yet the complaint files suggest there...

17.07 - Digital banking catches a tailwind

14 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Digital banking was already growing at a healthy clip when the coronavirus arrived in the U.S. in early 2020, and it’s only gained momentum as branc...

17.06 - Getting the most out of that reopened branch

07 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Across the country, banks and credit unions are welcoming customers back into their branches. But like other businesses reopening their doors, there a...

17.05 - Using CX to stand out from the crowd

23 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why is customer experience so important? One of the biggest reasons is that so much of banking is largely commoditized. CX is one of a shrinking numbe...

17.04 - How banks can meet the moment on diversity, equity and inclusion

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Diverse, equitable and inclusive workforces are significantly more productive and more profitable than workforces that aren’t. This is backed by a n...

17.03 - COVID-19 puts customer support on the fast track to change

09 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Banks and credit unions scrambled to keep their customer support going as a work-from-home job after the unwelcome arrival of the coronavirus. Now, wi...

17.02 - Culture is the backbone of innovation

02 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Whether it’s dealing with an extreme disruption like COVID-19 or just to be more effective competing every day, banks benefit from new ideas to stre...

17.01 - Banks as an essential service during COVID-19

26 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

By moving fast to ease the economic hardship felt by businesses and families, financial institutions have built up trust and good will with their cust...

16.08 - Rising to the PPP Challenge

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The federal Paycheck Protection Program was built for speed -- get Congress to expedite the loan funding and then get it out ASAP to small businesses ...

16.07 - Gen Z is fond of fintech, but they like tellers too

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Generation Z may have grown up as digital natives, but when it comes to banking, they’re not just about the technology. A recent BAI Banking Outlook...

16.06 - COVID-19 and the importance of 'Doing Digital'

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We hear a lot about the need for digital transformation in the banking industry and, if nothing else, the COVID-19 experience is reaffirming for banks...

16.05 - Making some sense of the Paycheck Protection Program

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The coronavirus pandemic has closed the doors of small businesses, driving up unemployment and stress levels across America. Part of the federal gover...

16.04 - ECM as a powerful workflow tool for financial institutions

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Spare rooms, couches and dining room tables are now office space for millions of Americans working from home due to COVID-19. But a dispersed labor fo...

16.03 - Working to stay one step ahead of the cybercriminals

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Whenever there’s a disaster, you can count on scammers and fraudsters to be quick to try to exploit our fears and sense of compassion. So it’s no ...

16.02 - How will coronavirus affect the financial services industry?

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Wild daily swings in the stock market are just one sign of the sudden toll that the novel coronavirus is taking on America’s economic health. Across...

16.01 - Will today's money manager be tomorrow’s life fixer?

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’re in the thick of tax season now -- that time of year when financial advisors huddle with their clients to discuss planning and portfolios. But ...

15.10 - Top 2019 podcasts: Getting a grip on the best data insights

17 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Data can yield great value for banks and even more for customers. But so much hinges on defining the pain points account holders struggle with and how...

15.09 - Getting in gear for 2020

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What challenges and opportunities lie ahead for financial services leaders in 2020? What will keep a customer from leaving one bank for another? And w...

15.08 - Top 2019 podcasts: Digital transformation that triumphs

03 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Whether it benefits customers and employees on the front end or core systems on the back end, digital transformation is a top shelf to-do for banks in...

15.07 - Top 2019 podcasts: Mastering the digital-physical mix

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Making consumer bank strategy stick ranks among the hottest topics in financial services today. But to get there, financial institutions must figure o...

15.06 - Top 2019 podcasts: The inside story of America's first mobile-only bank

19 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Considering that smartphone apps are just a dozen years old, the technology has exploded far beyond anything Steve Jobs might've imagined when he unve...

15.05 - Top 2019 podcasts: How one bank championed community resurgence

12 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Not much thought is always given to exactly what puts the “community” in “community banking.” But the renaissance in arts, technology, culture...

15.04 - Top 2019 podcasts: The secrets to effective digital transformation

05 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Digital transformation. The term and the concept predate smartphones and widespread internet usage. Yet if it’s time to bring the idea up to date in...

15.03 - Direct insights on direct banks

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Who is using direct banks and why? How do their customers define ‘convenience’? BAI’s Jason Mencias and Mark Riddle share insights from the late...

15.03 - Direct insights on direct banks

29 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Who is using direct banks and why? How do their customers define convenience? BAI’s Jason Mencias and Mark Riddle share insights from the latest BAI...

15.02 - How to gain points by tackling small business pain points

22 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Small businesses are a big deal to the people who own, operate and create them. But that doesn't mean they've had the easiest time working with banks ...

15.01 - Innovation insights: A look at the 2019 BAI Global Innovation Awards winners

15 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last decade, financial services innovation has flourished not just in volume but also in variety. In areas such as societal impact, marketing...

14:09 - Digital transformation: The CFO as superhero

24 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Digital transformation demands that the role of the CFO change to meet a very particular, poignant set of challenges. The question is: How? Enter the ...

14.08: Three pillars to build community banking success

17 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Today's community banking environment demands an extra layer of hustle and decisive action to grow and compete. Fortunately, there's already a bluepri...

14:07: Where banking success meets behavioral finance

10 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

With roots in business academia, behavior finance provides answers to explain the perplexing things all of us do as consumers. Why do we follow others...

14.06: Banking’s best ways to fight digital-age fraud

03 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Fraud has moved far beyond the days of passing bad checks and rigging ledger books, both in its volume and sophistication. In the hands of determined ...

14.05: Taking giant steps on the digital journey

27 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Wouldn’t it be nice to program a bank’s digital journey into a computer? Aside from being impossible, the task of digital transformation becomes t...

14.04: When fintech takes on a greater purpose

20 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Innovation in financial services sometimes overlooks the pressing needs of consumers who teeter on the edge of financial peril. Causes for trouble are...

14.03: Keeping up with consumer demands in the digital age

13 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to mobile technology and easy ecommerce, consumers find themselves in a new position of power where they compare their banking experience to ot...

14.02: BAI's latest findings on bank culture and conduct

06 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Pinning down the fine points of how banks can conduct themselves ethically--and establish best practices across the organization--has always been tric...

14.01: Getting a grip on data's best insights

30 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Data can yield great value for banks and even more for customers. But so much hinges on defining the pain points account holders struggle with and how...

13.09: How one bank championed community resurgence

09 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Not much thought is always given to exactly what puts the “community” in “community banking.” But the renaissance in arts, technology, culture...

13.08: The ins and outs of winning at innovation

01 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For years, the banking industry has bandied about the word "innovation" until, ironically, it's become a tired cliche. What's more, the all-talk-no-ac...

13:07: Your road-tested roadmap to sensational innovation

25 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Many metaphors describe the illusion of banking progress, from the "innovation petting zoo" to "innovation theater." It's one thing to buy your innova...

13.06: Why consumers want authentic banking—now

18 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It’s called “authentic banking,” the call for financial institutions to join forces with customers and understand a host of crucial issues throu...

13.05: Coming out on top in today’s talent war

11 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What was once known simply as Human Resources is today calling itself talent management—and in 2019, the battle to attract, hire and retain talent i...

13.04: The grand financial adventure of starting a new bank

04 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you think regulators still have roadblocks up for de novo banks, guess again. A cooperative spirit between bankers and government authorities has e...

13.03: Your guide to winning business banking customers

28 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

On Episode 100, of the BAI Banking Strategies Podcast, BAI's Mark Riddle and Jason Mencias share key findings and takeaways from their latest quarterl...

13.02: The secrets to effective digital transformation

21 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Digital transformation. The term and the concept predate smartphones and widespread internet usage. Yet if it’s time to bring the idea up to date in...

13.01: Cannabis banking and the path to navigate compliance

14 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The cannabis industry carries with it tremendous potential and opportunities for merchants, suppliers and backers. But for banks, the sector isn't so ...

12.08: Digital transformation that triumphs

30 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Whether it benefits customers and employees on the front end or core systems on the back end, digital transformation is a top shelf to-do for banks in...

12.07: Why top customer experience needs tough fraud protection

23 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The flipside of superior customer experience is a strong fraud program, even if it's not the sexiest thing for banks to promote. Still, you can't have...

12.06: The most valuable keys to customer engagement

16 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Despite a newfound fascination with customer engagement, banks know it's a constantly moving target that doesn't reward indecision or momentary distra...

12.05: The inside story of America's first mobile-only bank

09 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Considering that smartphone apps are just a dozen years old, the technology has exploded far beyond anything Steve Jobs might've imagined when he unve...

12.04: From compliance complexity to regtech reality

02 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Compliance has always presented a set of thorny challenges for banks, and at this point there's no going back to simpler times. Enter "regtech," a sub...

12.03: How banks can supercharge their cybersecurity

26 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

While the fight for tighter cybersecurity keeps financial institutions scrambling, it means much more than keeping firewalls strong and hackers out. M...

12.02: Smart ways to address new consumer habits with innovative tech

19 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Creating organic growth boils down to a seeming paradox: developing intelligent digital tech that meets customers where they live. BAI Global Innova...

12.01: Mastering the digital-physical mix

12 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Making consumer bank strategy stick ranks among the hottest topics in financial services today. But to get there, financial institutions must figure o...

11.08: Turning AI into ROI

19 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial intelligence, BAI's Trend of the Year in 2018, looks set to have another banner run in 2019. But many financial institutions still haven't ...

11.07: Aiming to please SMBs

12 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Getting to the heart of serving small- and medium-sized businesses has been a heartache for banks, as they struggle to make many work-intensive transa...

11.06: What's hot in banking innovation, fintech and digital growth

05 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Whatever the months ahead hold for technology in financial services—from open banking to closing the gaps between fintechs and banks—the future is...

11.05: An insider’s guide to risk and data management

29 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In an age when so much stress is placed on customer experience, financial institutions need to keep an eye on the safeguards that guarantee success. ...

11.04: Getting to the bottom of great customer experience in 2019

22 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For all the noise surrounding customer experience, dialing in to the best practices and effective strategies is another story. Kerim Tumay, vice pre...

11.03: Realizing data's phenomenal potential in 2019

15 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

While financial institutions know data holds the key to success, many haven't figured out how to collect it or what exactly to do with it. Kunal Cho...

11.02: 2019's top banking decisions with the BAI Leadership Team

08 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As the financial services industry begins a new year, three topics are sure to dominate the agendas of many banks. How can institutions win the talent...

11.01: The big branch trends for 2019

01 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Are branches here to stay or going away? Is more high tech a good thing or an obstacle to human connection? The questions won't go away; smart answers...

10:08: How banks can win at gamification

11 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve ever wondered why banks should teach employees serious content in amusing and engaging ways, consider the bottom-line effect it can have o...

10.07: Paths to profitable digital partnerships

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Many banks now believe it’s a great idea to work with fintechs. Yet smart caution and compliance don’t always square with life in the high-tech fa...

10.06: Winning the data game

27 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Big data is huge—literally—as a game changer in the financial services industry. Yet the smart use of data comes with a host of concerns, ranging ...