The State of Banking
Where are we and where have we been? Trends are telling. In 2013, there were 6,812 FDIC-insured financial institutions. At September 30, 2017 there were 5,737, a 16% decline. There […]
For Banks, What Is Top Quartile Performance?
What is top quartile financial performance? I am often asked this question, and top quartile performance appears as stretch goals in many strategic plans. And I say bravo! Nobody wants […]
Banking’s Total Return Top 5: 2016 Edition
For the past five years I searched for the Top 5 financial institutions in five-year total return to shareholders because I grew weary of the persistent “get big or get […]
A Financial Institution Investment Banker Had Questions. Here Are My Answers.
My colleagues and I are frequent speakers at industry events. At one such event, a financial institution investment banker approached my colleague and handed him a list of questions he […]
Ever test the theory that acquiring banks is good? I did.
Every strategic planning retreat has its own flavor. This one particular retreat included a parade of investment bankers conveying the virtues of deal making while the audience of senior bank […]
In Pursuit of Return on Equity
When performing ratio analysis to determine a company’s profitability we should remember that a ratio has at least two data points: a numerator and a denominator. It doesn’t matter if […]