The Purposeful Banker
Episodes
Introducing YieldBuilder and the BCG/Q2 Partnership
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Discussing the recent BCG/Q2 partnership, as well as YieldBuilder - the product jointly developed by the two companies - and the impact it will have o...
What Does the Data Tell Us About Primacy?
29 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We look at insights from the PrecisionLender database, as well as polls conducted with commercial bankers, to see what those findings tell us about Pr...
Spreadsheet Shortcoming at Your Bank
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Spreadsheets have their uses, but they're often not capable of performing some of the tasks banks ask of them. In this episode we look at spreadsheet ...
When Metrics Go Awry in Commercial Banking
01 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
PrecisionLender's founder Carl Ryden likes to say "Data that doesn't lead to action is just trivia." Banks are great at measuring all sorts of things,...
What's Driving the Recent Flurry of Regional Bank M&A?
04 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Big-bank M&A deals are at their highest levels since the late 90's. In this episode we explore what factors are pushing more and more and regional ban...
Why Pirates and Dull Knives Matter in Commercial Banking
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How can your bank keep the competition from raiding your deals? And are the processes your bank puts in place to guard against bad deals actually doin...
Can Your Commercial Bank "Get" the Price It "Sets"?
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We revisit an oldie-but-goodie topic: Banks spend a lot of time and effort calculating the price for each commercial deal. But how much do they focus ...
Anxieties and Opportunities in Commercial Banking
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Are some of the pricing and structuring tactics being used in the commercial banking market lately a sign of growing anxiety, or perhaps potential opp...
Commercial Deal Collaboration: The Treasury Perspective
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Shifting the focus from commercial RMs, to the Treasury Management perspective and exploring how Treasury officers view the deal collaboration process...
Is True Commercial Deal Collaboration Possible?
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Banks need better collaboration on commercial deals in order to win coveted deals and improve profitability. But that's much easier said than done. ...
Connecting the Commercial Banking Tech Stack
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We preview our upcoming webinar, "Connecting Commercial Banking Technology," discussing why banks are focusing more on building an end-to-end commerci...
What Does "Primacy" Mean for Commercial Banks?
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Primacy is a buzzword at a lot of commercial banks these days, but what does it mean, exactly? What truly determines primacy? And what do banks need t...
The Case for Booking Low-Margin Loans
14 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Commercial bankers customarily work hard to protect margins on their loans. But in the current environment, is there a case to be made for booking dea...
The Crucial Final Cross-Sell Step
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bankers often use the promise of additional cross-sell to make commercial loan deals work. But those promised accounts often never show up. Why do ban...
Merger Concerns and Loosening Credit Standards
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we talk about some of the potential downside to adding scale via mergers, as well as the market shift toward looser credit standards. ...
What Does "Relationship Banking" Really Mean?
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Every bank says it's a "relationship bank," but their actual relationship profitability often looks quite different. We share some of those stories, a...
How the Commercial Loan Market Fared in Q1
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Taking a look at our last Commercial Loan Pricing Market Update from the first quarter of 2021 - what are the trends so far this year and what do they...
Yep, It's Time to Talk About LIBOR ... Again
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The transition off LIBOR at the the end of 2021 may seem like old news, but there are many issues banks needs to address ... and time is running short...
Does Anyone Want Deposits Anymore?
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Stimulus measures early in the pandemic injected massive amounts of liquidity into the economy. Meanwhile, businesses feeling the uncertainty of the m...
2021 Commercial Market Survey: What Do Bankers REALLY Think?
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In PrecisionLender's annual survey, commercial bankers gave their views about the impact of 2020 events and the outlook for 2021. In this episode, we ...
Is Commercial Loan Growth in 2021?
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Taking a look at the reasons why commercial loan growth may be tough to achieve in 2021, but also ways banks can overcome those obstacles.
Introducing the PrecisionLender Insights Suite!
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Taking a look at PrecisionLender's two new products - Portfolio Insights and Market Insights - and how they help commercial bankers make better data-d...
The Return of PPP (And What That Means for Banks)
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
PPP is back ... and more complex than ever. Dallas Wells walks us through the various programs and explains what's at stake this time around for comme...
Previewing the State of Commercial Banking Webinar
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gita Thollesson joins the podcast to give a sneak peek at a few of the findings she'll share in her upcoming State of Commercial banking webinar.
Commercial Banking Revenue Tips for 2021
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
2021 will present a lot of challenges for commercial banks, but there are ways that banks can improve their revenue performance. We offer a few sugges...
The Push to Be the Primary Bank
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A look at the all-important quest for banks to be the primary option for customers. We'll explore the reasons why that goal is getting harder and hard...
How Are Commercial Banks Faring in the Pandemic?
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How are banks responding after 9 months of the pandemic? We look at two particular areas - provisioning and bad loan sales, in which bank actions seem...
Greenwich Associates' Chris McDonnell on Commercial Customer Loyalty in 2020
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How have banks' responses to the pandemic affected the loyalty of their commercial customers? Chris McDonnell shares some eye-opening findings from Gr...
Talking Cash Management Tech & Cross-Selling With Aite Group's Christine Barry
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Aite Group's Christine Barry on what commercial banks should look for when adding cash management technology and how lenders can better cross-sell...
Key Takeaways from Bank Director's 2020 Tech Survey
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What do the results from Bank Director's annual technology survey tell us about how banks are viewing technology and their ability/willingness to inve...
Demand-Side Commercial Banking Sales, with Bob Moesta
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Former BankOnPurpose keynote speaker Bob Moesta talks about the principals of demand-side sales, and how they can be applied by commercial bankers. ...
Why Doesn't Wall Street Believe in Banks?
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The banking industry is much stronger now than it was the last time the U.S. economy had a significant downturn. So why isn't that being reflected in ...
Banking Budget Challenges During COVID
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we look at how banks should handle tricky budget questions during COVID-19. Forecasting future revenues and expenses is tough even in ...
Commercial Banking's Looming LIBOR Problem
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Amidst all the challenges facing commercial banks during the pandemic, there also looms a problem on the approaching horizon - can they meet regulator...
How Banks Are Tackling Hotel Industry Risk
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The hotel industry has been one of the hardest hit sectors of the economy during the pandemic. What does that mean for the banks that have lent money ...
Is CECL Really "A Joke"?
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A banking CEO recently made some scathing public comments about CECL. Is his view widespread? And what's at the root of dissatisfaction with the accou...
What Our Risk Research Shows
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
PrecisionLender's Gita Tholleson, author of the recent report "Risk Levels and Bank Behaviors During COVID-19" joints the podcast to discuss her findi...
Do Your Bank's Risk Ratings Help or Hinder?
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With risk mitigation on the minds of commercial bankers everywhere, it's time to look at how they're measuring risk - and where those ratings might be...
Have Commercial Banks Reached a Digital Tipping Points?
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With COVID-19 forcing banks to support a remote workforce, and to rapidly process PPP applications, have commercial banks reached a point where digita...
What's Next for Commercial Bankers?
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Commercial banks are out of survival mode and have at least grown accustomed to life with COVID-19. There's time now for them to ask "Okay, what's nex...
Rogue RMs: Straw Men or Legitimate Concern?
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As commercial banks step up efforts to mitigate risk, they worry about RMs that might ignore the rules and guidelines. Is their concern valid or shoul...
Financial Crisis First-Timers & Tough Workout Conversations
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like for commercial RMs in the midst of their first financial crisis? And how should banks handle difficult workout conversations with clien...
Are Banks Taking a High-Risk Approach to Risk Mitigation?
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many banks are trying to reduce risk by only allowing senior execs to make all key commercial lending decisions. Is that approach actually having the ...
How the COVID Crisis Is Impacting Banking M&A
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mergers and acquisitions - once an attractive tactic for banks - have become more problematic during the COVID crisis. Why are some banks pulling the ...
Main Street Lending Is Starting! ... Now What?
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With Main Street Lending programs finally about to start, how should banks approach them? Will MSLP stimulate more activity? And how should banks thin...
Questions Banks Still Need to Consider During COVID-19
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Banks have been heads down in processing PPP deals, but they need to step back and consider some big questions, like how they plan to tackle Main Stre...
Sobering Data and the Importance of Main Street Lending
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss the cratering middle market lending numbers and why banks need to be ready to participating in the Main Street Lending program.
Main Street Lending: What Your Bank Needs to Know
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Main Street Lending is the next set of federal emergency lending programs, but it's been somewhat overshadowed by PPP. We go through some different us...
Introducing the PrecisionLender CARES Edition
20 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we explain our latest product: the PrecisionLender CARES Edition. Dallas Wells walks listeners through why we developed CARES...
Commercial Line of Credit Usage: What the Data Says So Far
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Discussing recent commercial line of credit utilization numbers. What's happening with them, and what do they tell us about how companies are faring r...
Recent Trends With Commercial Deposits, April 6
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How are current market conditions affecting the way banks are approaching commercial deposits? Will we another wave of "surge deposits," a la 2008? An...
What We're Seeing In The Commercial Lending Market, 3/26
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
To keep you up to date on what's happening in the commercial lending market, we review PrecisionLender's data on several key metrics - NIM, volume, sp...
Friendly Advice for Bankers Facing an Uncertain Market
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we look at how today's market compares to banking during the last financial crisis. We also discuss how bankers should carefully appr...
Jim Stengel Talks Purpose & Performance at Banks
10 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk with Jim Stengel, about how banks that spend time focusing on their purpose and end up seeing the results in improved perform...
Diving Deeper on Accenture's Commercial Banking Trends
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We take a deeper look at Accenture's recent report on 2020 commercial banking trends - from empowered bankers, to moving way from legacy systems, and ...
Time to Truly Do Digital: Interview w/ Sam Maule of 11:FS
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Interview with Sam Maule, Managing Partner for America at the digital banking consultancy 11:FS. Sam will be delivering a keynote speech at BankOnPurp...
Introducing: Market Insights
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Shanahan, Head of Client Strategy, comes on the show to talk about PrecisionLender's newest product - Market Insights. What's the problem Market I...
A Sneak Peek At the State of Commercial Banking Webinar
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Gita Thollesson, PrecisionLender's SVP of Market Insights, joins the podcast to give a sneak peek at a few of the findings she'll share in her upcomin...
Recession Prep Survey - What Commercial Bankers REALLY Think
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We surveyed commercial bankers in Q4 to get their thoughts about a potential economic downturn. In this episode, we look at the survey results and Dal...
Finding the Bank's Purpose: Atlantic Capital Bank
16 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Atlantic Capital Bank CEO Doug Williams shares the story of his bank, its search for purpose, and how that lead to a better bottom line.
Hot Topics at Small Biz: Banking 2019
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dallas Wells returns from American Banker's Small Biz: Banking conference and shares his thoughts on the hottest topics of discussion among bankers at...
Commercial Banking's Revenue Problem
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Greg Demas joins the podcast to talk about what he's hearing from community and regional banks and where he sees potential for improvement - specifica...
What Banks Are Saying About Tech Spending
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Taking a look at Bank Director's 2019 Tech Survey and what it says about commercial bank strategic priorities and spending habits.
The Regional Bank Goldilocks Challenge
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What are the challenges regional banks currently face as they strive to become the Goldilocks solution for commercial clients: Not too small; not too ...
What's In a (Bank) Name?
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How much do bank names matter? What prompts them to sometimes make a name change? And why are so many bank names so ... similar? All that and more on ...
The Yield Curve Conundrum
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What to about the inverted yield curve? Dallas Wells explains how bankers should adjust to this tricky environment and how their banks can help them m...
The Story of Beal Bank: Why It Still Resonates
09 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We discuss Beal Bank, an unusual bank with an interesting story. It's one that should resonate with banks that are wondering if they're prepared for a...
Bank Strategies for the Next Recession
26 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When the next economic downturn eventually comes, will your bank be ready? PrecisionLender CEO Carl Ryden and 11:FS CEO David Brear discuss the strate...
What's Happening With Commercial Deposits
12 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gita Thollesson, PrecisionLender's SVP of Market Insights, comes on the podcast to share some of the findings from her upcoming webinar on the pursuit...
Key Results from Our Commercial Pricing Market Survey
29 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What do commercial bankers think about their pricing processes and technology, and about the deals their RMs price each day? PrecisionLender got the a...
What You Need to Know About Libor and SOFR
08 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is Libor really on the way out? Is SOFR the most likely index to replace it? And how will these changes affect the loans already on your commercial bo...
What Poker Pro Annie Duke Can Teach Bankers
24 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we look back at the BankOnPurpose 2019 talk given by former poker champ Annie Duke, author of the book, "Thinking in Bets." We discus...
Winning Tactics of Top RMs: Scaling Best Behaviors
10 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How do you tap into the value of your top RM's behaviors? What should you measure? How do you do measure it? And how do you scale that knowledge?
Riches in the Niches: The Case for Commercial RM Specialization
27 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Greg Martin, a business services offer for BB&T, shares his approach to developing his commercial book. He makes the case for pursuing industry specia...
Interview with 11:FS Bank Innovator Leda Glyptis
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
During this interview at BankOnPurpose 2019, 11:FS chief-of-staff Leda Glyptis talks about how banks should balance the need to innovate with the need...
Rethinking How to Price Commercial Renewals
29 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to Gita Thollesson about her latest report, "Commercial Renewals: Market Best Practices." Why don't banks reprice more often? What's the right...
What Bankers Should Do When Clients Test Them On Price
15 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How should bankers handle those moments when their clients "test" them on the price of a deal? Are there ways to avoid that moment? Or, if it's inevit...
The Fierce Battle for Deposits - Who's Winning and Why
01 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Commercial banks have "attracting deposits" at the top of their priority lists this year. Which banks are faring the best in this battle? And what are...
Lessons from a Cautionary Small Bank Tale
18 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What can community banks learn from story of the decline and eventual demise of the National Bank of Delaware County? What mistakes should they avoid?...
Onboarding Tales: Lessons for Banks Bringing on New Customers
04 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You never get a second chance to make a first impression, yet so often the onboarding experience starts off the business-customer relationship on the ...
Winning Tactics of Top RMs: Performance-Based Pricing
18 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Gita Thollesson, SVP for Client Success and Market Insights at PrecisionLender, returns to the podcast to discuss more winning tactics of top commerci...
The Pain of Selling New Bank Products
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why is that banks sometimes struggle to sell new products? Where are the pain points, and what should they be doing differently in their sales process...
Why Your Bank's CRM Project Is Failing
21 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lot of banks have implemented or are in the midst of implementing CRMs. But a lot of those same banks aren't getting the most out of their CRMs. What'...
How Does Your Commercial Bank Coach?
07 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Coaching" is becoming a very important topic for commercial banks. What does "coaching" mean? Where can it provide an impact, and what role does tech...
2018's Top Episode: Winning Tactics of the Best RMs
31 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
We close out 2018 by replaying our most popular episode of the year - Gita Tholleson sharing the tactics of the best relationship managers that set th...
Hot Topics from Small Biz: Banking Conference
10 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
PrecisionLender's Tim Shanahan comes on the podcast to recap his recent trip to the Small Biz: Banking Conference. Among the event's hot topics: Hirin...
Hot Topics from Small Biz: Banking Conference
10 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
PrecisionLender's Tim Shanahan comes on the podcast to recap his recent trip to the Small Biz: Banking Conference. Among the event's hot topics: Hirin...
6 Lessons Banks Can Learn From NBKC
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
NBKC is a community bank that is not only surviving, it's thriving - growing its lending business into new markets. What are some of the lessons other...
Uberizing Deposit Pricing
12 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Talking deposit strategies during a rising rate environment, with Neil Stanley of The Corepoint.
What's Driving Value at Banks?
29 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Banks measure all sorts of key performance indicators; which are the ones that show the strongest connection to how these institutions are valued? Jef...
Lasting Impressions From the BankAI Conference
15 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Why were bankers talking about Iron Man suits? How much of AI in banking is about retail, vs. commercial? Will automation actually create jobs? George...
Critical Conversations Bank Boards Are Having
01 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What are bank leaders saying about important topics such as: tech investment, how banks can deliver value, competition among community banks, and alte...
What a 1968 Computer Demo Can Teach Bankers
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Doug Engelbart's 1968 computer demo was hugely influential for the tech industry, but it took some time for his vision to be accepted by his colleague...
Why Is Your Bank Innovating?
03 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone at your bank is on board the innovation train, but is it headed to the right destination? In this week's podcast, Dallas and Jim explain why ...
Rethinking What Commercial Banks Measure
20 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Gathering information is a science. Filtering out noise is an art. To best serve their customers, commercial banks need to find the right balance betw...
Will a Bank's AI Produce an ROI? 6 Questions to Ask
06 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of banks are talking about their artificial intelligence initiatives, but how are those programs affecting the bottom line. In this week's podcas...
Winning Tactics of the Top Commercial RMs, Part 2
23 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What separates the best commercial RMs from the rest? Gita Tholleson, SVP for Client Success at PrecisionLender, explains how top RMs deliver tangible...
Talent Challenges in Commercial Banking
09 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How are banks doing in recruiting commercial lenders? Why are incentive plans still an unsolved issue? Those issues and more details from Bank Directo...
The Tech Spending Gap in Commercial Banking
25 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Big commercial banks aren't just spending more on tech in terms of total dollars; they're also dedicating a higher percentage of their budget to tech ...
The Winning Tactics of Top Commercial RMs, Part 1
11 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Why is it that top commercial relationship managers win deal even when they're not offering the lowest rate? Gita Tholleson, Precisionlender SVP of Cl...