Strategy

My outlook for banks and financials in 2025 can be summed up as one of cautious optimism.  While the market has expressed premature ebullience over Trump’s election, which definitely included strength in financial stocks, there are many loose and important ends still buried in uncertainties.  A sea change in variables is likely to unfold. Regulatory Relief:  Banks and financials will clearly benefit from a shift in tone and substance on the regulatory front.  Capital requirements…

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…