Strategy

Most banks have a formal succession planning process. They have named successors for the truck scenario (short-term), medium-term, and long-term. The same names typically show up in many boxes. The process is intact, but the results are not entirely realistic.Many banks are also experiencing many impending retirements as a generation of bank leaders is aging out. At the same time, while showing much promise, many potential successors are not ready yet to take on the…

A perennial topic at our forums in recent years has been M&A activities. Of course, every attendee is expected to be the acquirer, not the acquired. All mentioned scale is a critical competitive advantage in a consolidating industry where compliance and technology demands grow exponentially. In the distant past, the definition of “scale” was simple: whatever size you’re at, doubling it within 3-5 years will provide the scale you needed, whether you’re $100MM in assets…

There is universal agreement that growth companies generally get the best multiples from the investment community, whether in financial services or elsewhere. While a lift out of a talented group of bankers will give you a growth spurt, it is the elusive, consistent growth everyone seeks. Is there a process or a system you can build into your thinking and management process to increase the likelihood of growth meaningfully? Analysis shows that there must be…