C.J. Tate and I connected a while back and just had some really interesting conversations around career advancement in community banking and the role of education. He made some great points about how it's a two-way street and the role of culture AND the role of the greener banker's attitude towards learning more. He's dead on right.... His story is really cool and I don't want to spoil it so, take a listen! Many thanks to ICBA Securities for their continued sponsorship!
Jun 18, 2025•36 min
Scale Link is a really cool CDFI that offers a secondary market for small business microloans and trading platform. Their CEO, Jonathan Brereton, stopped by the show to have a chat...and y'all know what a fan we are of CDFI's on Main St. Banking. Love meeting other true believers out there!!! Be sure to check out Scale Link at https://scalelink.org/ And many thanks to ICBA Securities for their sponsorship!
May 28, 2025•23 min
Wrapping up our discussion with Eric and Brett this week. If you missed last week's, be sure you go back and check that out. Otherwise, you just landed right in the middle of a conversation and it probably doesn't make much sense! Thanks to ICBA Securities for their continued sponsorship.
Apr 30, 2025•22 min
One of the most important (and yet least discussed) relationships in the bank is the CEO/CFO relationship. When it works...it REALLY works but when it doesn't....it REALLY doesn't. It represents banking, in so many ways, in that these two positions have vastly different perspectives yet must work together. However, I think you'll find in this episode (and next week's Part 2) that there are more similarities than you may have realized. Many thanks to Eric Alexander and Brett McDowell (CEO of Vict...
Apr 23, 2025•22 min
With all the news and shake-ups we've seen over the last few days...I wanted to bring on Jim Reber to help banks understand what's going on.
Apr 04, 2025•9 min
Growing as a leader in a bank can be hard. Where do you even start? What does that even look like in practical terms? Eric Alexander with Six Arrows Consulting is a frequent guest of the show because these are questions we like to discuss! Be sure to check him out at https://sixarrowsconsulting.com/ as well as on LinkedIn And many thanks to ICBA Securities for their sponsorship. Check them out at https://www.icba.org/icba-securities
Mar 24, 2025•38 min
Many thanks to Jim Reber, CEO of ICBA Securities, for continuing to sponsor the show as well as come on each quarter to shed light on economic news. I know it's a big help to all of us here and to many of you as well. Be sure to register for the webinar he mentions at the end on Enterprise Risk Management. Jeff Rigsby is a great speaker and it'll be worth your time. You can register at https://stifel.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rg2hVHJHTWexHS8Jri1wTA#/registration
Mar 21, 2025•10 min
I was glad to bring back Tim Dively to discuss data and AI. Tim does a great job of cutting through buzzwords and help banks understand these very weighty topics. In this episode, we discussed more organizational change management than you'd expect on an AI podcast episode but I think you'll see the importance of understanding where to start with AI but also how to implement the change. Great conversation!
Feb 27, 2025•37 min
The CRA has always been of interest to me. There's a lot of good that's come from it but recent changes have made the implementation of the law rather murky. Today, we sat down with David Lenoir, Pres/CEO of ICBA CRA Solutions and Steffani Jenkins, CRA Liaison, to discuss the foreseeable future of the law and also how important the law is to community banking in general. To learn more about them, check out: https://www.icba.org/cra Also thank you to ICBA Securities for their ongoing support! htt...
Feb 09, 2025•29 min
We've done quite a bit of content over the last few years about ideas to use the space we have in out banks. I think it's a fascinating discussion because the ideas are wide ranging and have a HUGE amount of opportunity. I met Alaa and got to know Maptician's work and I like the way he approaches this topic...managing leases. I thought it spoke to bankers and the way he frames the discussion around flex time/hybrid/wfh is interesting. Be sure to check Maptician at https://www.maptician.com/ or e...
Feb 03, 2025•30 min
It's been a long week this week with a ton of economic news....and you know us, when there's a news cycle like this, we bring on Jim Reber from ICBA Securities to give us a good comprehensive overview of what's going on. In the episode, he mentioned the webinar next week on Bank Strategy from Stifel. Register for that at https://stifel.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AxI4Bj-BRR62NjbUfxrneQ#/registration And to learn more about ICBA Securities, check them out at https://www.icba.org/icba-securities...
Jan 31, 2025•11 min
There's an age-old question in bank management that I've heard all the nearly 25 years I've been in the business. How do we get more business referrals from our employees? And the next question is going to be something like..."why didn't this incentive plan work?!" If that situation sounds familiar (and I'm betting it does because, ya know...it's banking) then you might want to check out the episode today because a possible solution is amazingly simple. Be sure to check out BankerBounty at https...
Jan 20, 2025•31 min
December 18, 2024 the Fed made an announcement that many people did not see coming. So, whenever the Fed does something, we bring on Jim Reber to digest it for us and explain it to the community banking industry. Be sure to check out ICBA Securities at www.icba.org/icba-securities
Dec 19, 2024•9 min
It's always fun to sit down with Jimmy Sawyers and look back at his predictions for the most recent year. We've done this since the very beginning of the podcast and it's been great every time. Today's episode is predictions 6-10 that he made for 2024...and let's see how he did! Check out Sawyers and Jacobs at sawyersjacobs.com/ And also many thanks to our sponsor, ICBA Securities: www.icba.org/icba-securities
Dec 16, 2024•31 min
It's always fun to sit down with Jimmy Sawyers and look back at his predictions for the most recent year. We've done this since the very beginning of the podcast and it's been great every time. Today's episode is predictions 1-5 that he made for 2024...and let's see how he did! Check out Sawyers and Jacobs at https://sawyersjacobs.com/ And also many thanks to our sponsor, ICBA Securities: https://www.icba.org/icba-securities
Dec 16, 2024•38 min
That time of the year when we take a look back with our friends at Gerrish Smith Tuck and what they've seen are some of the issues we've faced this past year and what's coming ahead. To learn more about Gerrish Smith Tuck, check out https://gerrish.com/ And many thanks to ICBA Securities for their continued support.
Dec 15, 2024•40 min
Well, Barret has a BIG announcement and it's one we've been working on for right at a year-and-a-half. I don't know when I've been more excited to be make an episode!! Barret has entered partnership with The Banque, a new banking simulation centered around teaching the players actual banking! We've worked with Dave Sidon during the last year or so and have been absolutely amazed at, not just the software, but the usability...approachability...how much bankers enjoy it and actually learn from it!...
Nov 25, 2024•37 min
Well, it's been a slightly busy week and a half hasn't it!? Only a little bit of news that has market impact, right? Seriously, there's been quite a few things moving in the markets and whenever there's news you can use...we bring in Jim Reber, CEO of ICBA Securities to help us get our arms around the material. Be sure to check out ICBA Securities at https://www.icba.org/icba-securities Be sure to sign up for ICBA Live in Nashville this coming March https://www.icba.org/events/icba-live/registra...
Nov 14, 2024•11 min
This is sort of a part 2 to the last time we had Eric on discussing collaboration. As you can tell, I love talking to Eric and his insights from his career are always insightful and inspiring to me as I hope they are to you. I love this idea of accountability. It takes a lot of work and a lot of pride swallowing sometimes but that's the point in a way. Asking yourself do you believe enough in yourself, your team, the mission to own a mistake. It's easy to own the wins...there's no shortage of pe...
Oct 10, 2024•32 min
Whenever there's economic news that matters to community banks, why not turn to the experts. Jim Reber, CEO of ICBA Securities, is on today to summarize and contextualize today's economic news. To learn more about the Balance Sheet Academy referenced in the show, check out https://www.icba.org/events/details/2024/10/28/icba-securities/balance-sheet-academy
Sep 06, 2024•12 min
Eric Alexander with Six Arrows Consulting is back to talk about collaboration in banking. This will be, likely, a two-part series on tearing down those infernal silos we have in banking. Long time listeners will know that the "silo-ing" in banking is one of my biggest pet peeves and Eric's approach to team building, collaboration, and culture from within the financial area of the bank (not often associated with such terms!!!) is why I really value his input. You maaaaaay also notice a little dif...
Aug 01, 2024•34 min
You go to a convention or you see a brand new shiny product on LinkedIn and it sounds great. But do you need it? Truth is...I can't really answer that for you. You make that call. But the question DOES arise...how do you know if you need it? How do you even know what data can do to figure out if it's even something that strategically works for you. It's a question that Tim Dively with CliftonLarsonAllen and I have batted around several times over the past few weeks and I wanted to get him on the...
Jul 24, 2024•33 min
We're continuing our theme around banking with a purpose...what does community involvement really look like? What are some cool stories from community banks that are affecting real change in their local communities? Danny Kelly is the CEO of Hometown Bank in Oneonta, AL. You may remember him from a previous Main Street Banking episode and their really cool use of YouTube. Well, being a subscriber, I came across a video about their community partnerships and the projects that they are working on....
Jul 01, 2024•57 min
Sharon Anderson is the CEO/President of Williamstown Bank in Williamstown WV. In February of 2020, they implemented a community-driven coffee business similar to what you have seen on this podcast before and, to date, have nearly raised $50,000 that goes directly to charities in the local community. As someone who has watched this from Memphis, it is truly one of those "feel good" stories...but more than that (and to borrow Williamstown Bank's marketing) it's what banking can be. If you'd like t...
Jun 10, 2024•25 min
Well...it's been an interesting couple of weeks in the markets and in the interest rate world. We've just gotten some job data and whenever there is news in these arenas...we bring in Jim Reber, CEO of ICBA Securities, to shed some light on the confusion and explain what's going on. Be sure to check out https://www.icba.org/icba-securities to learn more about their Virtual Bond School that Jim mentions in the show.
May 03, 2024•13 min
BSA and AML...often the least engaging material in banking education but it doesn't always need to be nor should it be ignored. Justin Fischer is the CEO of RiskScout and doing some amazing work in the BSA/AML field with new and innovative ways to make this important area approachable and useful. Check them out at https://www.riskscout.com/ And many thanks to our sponsor, ICBA Securities, which you can find athttps://www.icba.org/icba-securities
Apr 17, 2024•22 min
Shamim Okolloh is the VP for Community Outreach or Encore Bank in Little Rock...a second year student at the Barret Graduate School of Banking...and now a co-writer of an extremely important book in our industry. And it's a book she's co-written with her favorite co-writer...her son! It's a book inspiring kids (and particularly girls of color) to become commercial bankers! And it has opened up some amazing opportunities for discussions about banking, financial literacy, banking as a career...it'...
Mar 21, 2024•32 min
Does leading meetings or meeting with clients or writing reports/memos fill you with anxiety or has it ever done so? I'll admit it...it does me! You can't help how things like that bother you BUT you can change how you deal with it. And to have someone with Justin's resume and experience sharing some of his "tips and tricks" that he teaches at the Barret Graduate School of Banking...well...it let's us know that we're not alone. Be sure to follow Justin on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in...
Feb 14, 2024•17 min
I'm always been fascinated with how banks manage through core conversions. Having lived through 2 myself...I get the frustrations. I've LIVED the frustrations! However, there's a good bit of talk around the differing communication requirements needed for each generation...and today's workforce has 4 generations intermingled together. All with different communication needs...all with different points of views...and if we were to throw a core conversion on top of that?!?!?! Siobhan Byron is EVP of...
Jan 25, 2024•16 min
When the numbers come out, we bring on Jim Reber (CEO of ICBA Securities) to explain them and put them in context. With the new CPI number out today...we did just that. Apologies for sounding like a chain smoking toad...sinus season in Memphis! And be sure to check out ICBA Securities at https://www.icba.org/icba-securities
Jan 11, 2024•10 min
