Managing All Aspects of the Customer Experience

Posted inSales Management
Every few years Dick and I visit an establishment that appeals to us on every level. Such places have been hotels, guides, restaurants etc. Last week we had the pleasure of experiencing bliss once more, and I wanted to share it with you. The cycle of CX (Customer Experience) has come and gone. It was the last word a decade ago, blossomed into CX departments that ended up becoming customer complaints aggregators and resolvers, and…

Credit Expectations and Concerns for the Remainder of the Year

Posted inFinance
Solid credit is one of the pillars of strong bank management, as well as one of the two main causes for bank failures (the second being poor interest rate risk management). The year 2023 was a notable exception to the rule, when SVB and others failed due to liquidity concerns. In my opinion, those failures were associated with the same critical principle that causes credit-based failures - concentrations. Diversification of risk is the bedrock of…

The Second Half of 2025

Posted inWealth Management
This year has been more tumultuous than many before it, with unprecedented economic gyrations. Short rates have remained stable, while long-term debt has reflected the unique economic uncertainties of our time. While this yielded lots of agonizing and stomach acid, it also helped steepen the curve somewhat, and contributed to some margin relief among many banks. Industry leaders shared their main concerns last year as NIM, core funding pressures (both rates and magnitude), credit quality…