Making the Most Out of Your Meetings

Our industry has always suffered from too many meetings. Plus, the meetings weren’t always an effective use of time. COVID meaningfully aggravated this problem because in-person exchanges, planned, impromptu or ad-hoc, were not possible. In fact, now that many of us are back in the office, we still spend much of our time interacting through screens in more meetings. Park National Bank is an unusual bank headquartered in Ohio, just shy of $10B in assets.…

AI Ideas in Community Banking

The community banking sector, long defined by its deep-rooted customer relationships and localized decision-making, is at a transformational crossroads. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant concept or the exclusive domain of large financial institutions. It is here, rapidly reshaping how banks—big and small—operate, compete, and serve their customers. For sub-$10 billion regional and community banks, AI represents both an existential challenge and an unprecedented opportunity. And let’s be honest—nothing says ‘existential crisis’ quite…

Reading The Regulatory Tea Leaves

Finance is, appropriately, a highly regulated industry. Unfortunately, political and ideological forces shaped much of the regulatory agenda over the years, and thousands of unintended consequences occurred.  The new administration brought with it the storms of change, and a somewhat euphoric reaction by many banks and other institutions impacted by the commitment to reduce regulatory burden and complexity. At the same time, safety and soundness remain non-negotiable foundational elements to our regulatory infrastructure, as well…