Banking Insights

In this episode, Steve Andrews, President & CEO of the Western Bankers Association sits down for a chat with James Beckwith, President & CEO of Five Star Bank and its holding company Five Star Bankcorp (Nasdaq: FSBC). Mr. Beckwith is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Western Bankers Association. Steve and James talk about how James got into banking and what he enjoys about the banking industry. James also discusses the challenges he sees facing the industry in the next few years. With James recently becoming the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the WBA, he shares his goals and priorities for WBA during his tenure and he discusses the value proposition of becoming a member of the WBA as well as the value of advocacy. For more information about Five Star Bank, please visit: www.fivestarbank.comFor more information about the Western Bankers Association, please visit: www.westernbankers.com

In this episode, we chat with the CEO of MANTL, Nathaniel Harley, about online account opening. We discuss the online account opening revolution and what the impact has been for both bankers and customers. Nathaniel shares the biggest opportunities for community banks during these times. Also, we talk about how banks can innovate and still keep their long-standing legacies. Finally, we cover how MANTL is able to mitigate any risks related to fraud when opening new accounts.Nathaniel Harley, Co-founder and CEONathaniel Harley is the CEO and co-founder of MANTL, an enterprise SaaS company helping traditional financial institutions modernize and grow. Founded in 2016, MANTL's mission is to expand access to financial services. MANTL believes that the strategic deployment of technology will define the banking landscape for decades to come. Its whitelabeled software helps community and regional institutions raise billions of dollars in core deposits each year and is up to 10x more cost-effective than building a brick-and-mortar branch.For more information, please visit: https://www.mantl.com

In this episode we speak with Richard Ormond, Stacy Stubblefield, and Thomas Peistrup. Richard Ormond is a Shareholder at Buchalter and Founder & Chairman at Ejudicate, Inc. Stacy Stubblefield is a Co-Founder of Telesign. Thomas Peistrup is General Counsel at InStyler and an Attorney at Tantalo & Adler LLP. We discuss the current state of cybersecurity in today's digital world and provide some insight on how banks are dealing with these challenges. We also chat about how companies, such as Telesign, are providing multi-factor authentication technology to help banks add an extra layer of security to to their authentication methods.

In this episode we speak with Tony Repanich, President and Chief Operating Officer at Shield Compliance. We discuss the current state of the evolving cannabis industry and how it impacts banking. Tony explains the latest developments in Washington D.C.  regarding the Safe Banking Act and what this legislation would look like for banks. We also talk about how the pandemic has impacted the cannabis industry and what that could mean for the future. And Tony shares his guidance for bankers as the industry expands. As President and Chief Operating Officer of Shield Compliance, Tony Repanich leads day-to-day operations and is the company’s principal product architect. Having served as a senior executive at a Washington State-based community bank for over 20 years, Tony has in-depth knowledge of the banking industry and the regulatory and compliance requirements for high-risk industries. Today he brings that knowledge to financial institutions serving and considering serving the legal cannabis industry. For more information about Shield Compliance, please visit their website: www.shieldbanking.com

In this episode we speak with Jennifer Ferrell, Elavon Director, eCommerce Solutions Consultant, as she shares her insight on the technology trends that allowed businesses to pivot and keep moving forward. We cover the differences between contactless and touchless payments along with all the possible ways to initiate these payments. Also, we talk about how the pandemic might have played a part in forwarding this technology. Jennifer also provides her recommendation for financial institutions that are interested in offering merchant solutions.Elan Advisory Services provides strategic consultation to ensure your financial institution has the right products and services to compete in your market. Through Elan Advisory Services’ internal partners, we deliver best-in-class solutions and exceptional service to more than 3,000 financial institutions across the United States.  Our internal partner Elavon, is a leading global payments company with more than 4,300 employees and operations in 10 countries. As a subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) Elavon provides businesses with the technology needed to accept payments from customers, whether they are shopping in stores, at home or on the go.  The distinction of our platform makes it easier to get businesses up and running quickly and securely. For more information, visit Elan Advisory Services at www.elanadvisoryservices.com.

The devastating economic impacts of COVID-19 led financial institutions to implement payment forbearance programs for struggling businesses and consumers. Unfortunately, lenders are now predicting a wave of delinquencies as the pandemic continues. The good news is, there are steps financial services organizations can take to increase their chances of collecting and recovering the funds they loaned.In this episode, Scott Albahary, Perficient’s Financial Services Chief Strategist, and Byron Gifford, Perficient's Lead Business Consultant for Financial Services, discuss transforming the debt collections and recoveries function, with empathy and personalization, during challenging times. For more information, please visit: www.perficient.com

In this episode, we chat with Anita Robinson, a former bank CEO and the first woman to chair the California Bankers Association. Anita shares her story of how she got started in the banking industry. We discuss the challenges Anita encountered while she served as the chair of the California Bankers Association as well as what inspired her to create the legacy event, the Women in Banking Forum. Then, we discuss what makes the Women in Banking Forum so special. Also, we highlight just a few of the many great speakers speaking at this year's Women in Banking Forum. This year's Women in Banking Virtual Forum held April 6 - 8 will be a three-day virtual event that celebrates women in the banking industry and will feature dynamic, inspirational and expert women speakers who will present on timely and relevant industry topics including the economy, regulatory and legislative updates, leadership and much more. TEDx speaker Sydney Lai and Olympic Gold Medalist Summer Sanders will be the keynote speakers.For more information, please visit westernbankers.com/wib21.

In this episode, we chat with Robert Baron, Chief Experience Officer at StandardC, about cannabis banking. We discuss where the state of cannabis banking is currently at and how the Safe Banking Act impacts cannabis banking. We discuss the tension between growing a customer base and navigating the challenges of cannabis banking. We also chat about how it is even more important now for banks to know their customers' customers in this current landscape. And finally we talk about the risks of cannabis banking and how to mitigate those risks with technology and automation.StandardC's mission is to enable access to banking and insurance for cannabis-related businesses based on data, not bias. Despite overwhelming consumer and state-level support, cannabis-related businesses and their service providers are routinely denied access to a broad range of financial services due to compliance & reputational risks, operational complexities, and extraordinary regulatory scrutiny. The StandardC platform mitigates these challenges, providing the legal cannabis business ecosystem with secure, scalable, and cost-effective access to traditional banking and insurance services. The StandardC platform provides banks with a network to protect against bad actors and improve and automate initial and ongoing due diligence and compliance. For more information, please visit: https://www.standardc.io

In this episode, we chat with Steve Andrews, President & CEO of the Western Bankers Association (WBA). Steve shares his background and what prepared him for the job. We discuss some of the challenges that bankers are facing today. Then, we dive into the Payment Protection Program and how this new round is going. Steve also provides his take on the role of the WBA, the association landscape, and some of his priorities for 2021.With more than 200 years of combined experience serving banks, the WBA is one of the largest banking trade associations and regional educational organizations in the United States. With a mission to educate and connect bankers to help them achieve the highest standards of personal and organizational excellence, the WBA offers dynamic conferences, training seminars, more than 250 webinars and enhanced education for member banks. CBA, the California state and federal advocacy division, is the advocate of the California banking industry for needed legislative, regulatory and legal changes.WBA also provides its members with preferred pricing for products and services that can both improve operations and save money through its Strategic Partner program.For more information, please visit westernbankers.com.

In this episode, we chat with the CEO of DocFox, Ryan Canin, about online account opening. We discuss how the pandemic has forced banks to adapt in this new environment and how online account opening is helping banks adapt in the new environment. We consider the tremendous opportunities for banks to embrace this new technology as well as the possible risks to consider. We also discuss the ways to mitigate those risks. Finally, if banks are considering this new online account opening software, what should banks consider before they make their decision.DocFox set out to create a tool that could assist financial institutions of various sizes to rapidly and efficiently manage their BSA requirements for all types of customers, from individuals to the most complex of businesses and high risk accounts and to transform how financial institutions perform BSA. For more information, please visit: https://docfox.io

In this episode we chat with Brandon Koeser, Financial Services Industry Senior Analyst at RSM US, as he provides us with his economic update. We compare how this economic crisis compares to that of the Great Recession. Brandon shares some advice for our bankers trying to navigate this changing landscape. Then, we learn how RSM US is creatively studying more real-time data in order to develop even more detailed and up-to-date economic forecasts.RSM US is a U.S. provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market. For more information, please visit rsmus.com.

In this episode, we chat with Shawn Dillon, President of Fitech, about how Fitech has been helping banks adapt and innovate during this ever-changing environment. We also discuss how technology helps banks maintain their customer relationships. Then, we even look into the future and see what the landscape will look like in a post-pandemic future. Fitech delivers payment processing solutions to community banks. As the endorsed payments provider across 38% of the U.S., Fitech delivers technology payment acceptance services tailored specifically for each partnership. Fitech is an Endorsed Partner of the Western Bankers Association.For more information about Fitech, please visit their website at fitech.com.

In this episode, we chat with Virginia Varela, President & CEO of Golden Pacific Bank. We discuss how she got into the banking industry and how banks are doing during these difficult times. Also, we cover how Golden Pacific Bank handled the Payment Protection Program and the lessons learned. Hear about all of the important work that Virginia is doing in the Sacramento community. And we even get to hear what it is like to work with a spouse. Lastly, Virginia shares some great advice for her fellow bankers.

In this episode, hear from Ankur Rawat, Associate Director - Products & Solutions, and Rod Skillman, Regional Sales Manager, both from Newgen Software, as they discuss how Newgen Software was able to adapt in this evolving environment to help better serve their clients. Also, we discuss how the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forced many in the banking industry to adapt to digital platforms for online account openings and lending. We also chat about how Newgen Software can benefit both the banks and the consumers.

Hear from Mike Cohn, Director of the WolfPAC Solutions Group at Wolf & Company, as we discuss the top five areas that have been significantly impacted during the pandemic. Mike Cohn is then able to creatively tie all of these affected areas back to baseball to help connect the dots. Listen as Mike also discusses the PPP process and how banks and fintech companies were able to work together to secure millions of loans.

Hear from Steve Miller, President & CEO of Fresno First Bank, as we discuss how his bank handled and how they were able to adapt to the rapidly moving PPP process. Also, we cover how the bank is handling all operation changes as California begins easing shelter-in-place policies. We also talk about competition and challenges in today's even more competitive environment. And lastly, Steve Miller shares some lessons learned over these last few months.

In this episode, we chat with Bria Barker Lee from Everfi about financial education and how banks can support their communities in these trying times. Also, we discuss the results from a study that Everfi recently conducted about consumers and their finances. Listen in to find out more about what the approachability gap is and how banks can overcome this gap.Bria Barker Lee is the Vice President of Partnerships at Everfi and has been working with financial institutions across the US for eight and a half years. Everfi is the leading education technology company that provides learners of all ages, education for the real world, through innovative and scalable digital learning. Everfi is an Endorsed Partner of the Western Bankers Association.

In this episode, hear from California State Assemblymember Monique Limón as we discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting policy priorities, the budget, businesses, families, and much more. We also talk about how bankers can continue to support their customers and communities during these trying times. Assemblymember Limón is the Chair of the Banking and Finance Committee. The Assemblymember represents the 37th district which includes over half of the County of Santa Barbara, as well as nearly a quarter of the County of Ventura.

In this episode, industry experts cover key topics on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the banking industry, legislation, and the economy. Hear from the California Bankers Association's three registered lobbyists: Kevin Gould, SVP, Director of Government Relations; Jason Lane, VP, Deputy Director of Government Relations; and Melanie Cuevas, VP, State Government Relations.