The Evolution of the Michelin Restaurant and Hotel Guide

The Michelin travel company was created for one reason - to promote the sale of tires, Michelin’s primary product. The tire company’s executives reasoned that promoting destinations to travel to, such as restaurants, hotels, and travel guides for a wide range of countries, will increase car travel and, with it, tires’ wear and tear. The entire line was considered a marketing expense to support the main business of the company.They were right. Car travel increased…

CFO Challenges in the Next Twelve Months

CFOs’ North Star is building a fortress balance sheet generating resilient and growing earnings. It’s a tall order. The path to achieving and sustaining it is ever changing, since capital markets and balance sheet valuations are highly dependent on unpredictable external factors, most notably interest rates, the economy at large and regulatory expectations. The last couple of years have complicated many a CFO’s life even more. They must find ways to modernize their institutions’ infrastructure…

Mid-Year M&A Review

Bank M&A floodgates haven’t opened yet. Or, rather, the gates are open but most banks aren’t rushing to capitalize upon the meaningful changes in regulatory posture regarding bank M&A. Interest in consolidation hasn’t waned, but increasing uncertainty is damping banks’ eternal eagerness to get better by getting bigger, rather than getting bigger by being better (a quote from Dick Kovacevich that I’ll never forget). Concerns about inflation, fueled by wild gyrations in oil particles thanks…