Risk Oversight, Capital and Imperatives for a More Engaged Board
The economic smack-down we have weathered since 2008 has emphasized the importance of the Board of Directors’ responsibility for risk oversight. We have seen an over-reaction to the excesses that precipitated this recession through the passage of Dodd-Frank, the implementation of a number of regulatory “reforms”, and the press reports stressing how banks have gone […]
Are the Regulators Getting You Down?
I’ve often found these past two years extremely difficult. As consultants, we should try not to personalize engagements. But I can’t change the internal wiring. Last year, a client failed, and many more received regulatory orders. Memorandums of Understanding (“MOU”), Formal Agreements (“FA”), and Cease and Desist Orders (“C&D”) have been on top of our […]
Things That Confound Me!
On an annualized basis, TKG performs somewhere between 35 and 40 strategic plans. Most of these engagements are between the months of June and December. However, this year we completed almost a year’s worth of plans by June 30th. You may ask, WHY? The answer is the result of regulatory actions and formal agreements which […]
Keeping things in Perspective
The last few years have certainly been a difficult time for the financial industry, as well as the United States and world economies. The sub-prime fiasco has been compared to the great depression and the final chapter of this story is yet to be written. History will eventually provide us with a rear-view mirror someday, […]
Are you Training for the Gold?
I recently watched the movie Miracle about the 1980 USA hockey team for the third time. In the movie, legendary coach Herb Brooks told his team that they may not be the best team on the ice, but they would be the best prepared. This inspired some self reflection. Am I dedicating enough time to […]
Are you Steering by the Screws?
This past year I was invited to join the faculty of the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management (SBMM). At first, I was a bit skeptical. I always believed myself to be a left brain thinker, one that processes information in an analytical and sequential way. Marketers, on the other hand, are thought to […]
How did we get into this mess and what can community banks do to get through it?
Much has been written about the current economic crisis, the worst since the Great Depression. Unfortunately, many successful, safe, and sound community banks have been whitewashed by the bad deeds of a few and the misconceptions of many, including the media. Using the word “bank” generically to include large banks, small banks, mortgage brokers, insurance […]