Tag: PwC

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3 Key RegTech Themes

Quickly:

  • Machine learning, advanced analytics and natural language processors dominated conversations at yesterday’s RegTech program at NASDAQ’s MarketSite.

NEW YORK — Where will technology take us next?  As many banks embrace digital tools and strategies, they inevitably grapple with regulatory uncertainty.  This naturally creates friction in terms of staffing levels, operational expenses and investment horizons.  With so many regional and national banks continuing to grow in size and complexity, the responsibility to provide appropriate oversight and management escalates in kind.

Likewise, as more and more community banks rely on technology partners to transform how they offer banking products and services, management teams and boards of directors grapple to assess how such relationships impact compliance programs and regulatory expectations.  Can technology truly deliver on its promise of efficiency, risk mitigation and greater insight into customer behavior?

To address questions and observations like these, my team hosted the Reality of RegTech at NASDAQ’s MarketSite on April 18.  Entering the MarketSite, we aspired to surface ideas for banks to better detect compliance and regulatory risks, assess risk exposure and anticipate future threats by engaging with technology partners.

Over the years, our annual one trek to NASDAQ’s New York home afforded us opportunities to:

  • Learn how BNY Mellon encourages innovation on a global scale;
  • Identify where early-stage technology firms realistically collaborate with financial services providers; and
  • Explore lending strategies and solutions for community banks.

This year, we focused on the intersection of technology with regulation, noting that banks can and should expect an overall increase in regulatory constraints on topics including supervision, systemic risk (such as stress tests), data protection and customer protection.

For Forward-Thinking Banks

At Bank Director, we see the emergence of regulatory-focused technology companies helping leadership teams to bridge the need for efficiency and security with growth aspirations. However, understanding how and when to leverage such technologies confounds many executives.  As our Emily McCormick wrote in advance of the event, forward-thinking banks are looking within their own organizations to figure out how the deployment of regtech fits into the institution’s overall strategic goals while matching up with culture, policies, processes and talent.

Key Takeaways

  1. RegTech is, by its very nature, constantly evolving.  Current solutions focus on one of two things: reducing the cost of compliance via automation or leveraging technology to deliver more effective compliance.
  2. The flip side to the promise of these solutions is a skepticism and concern by both regulators and banks that RegTechs really are in this for the long-haul, are reliable and “safe” to work with.
  3. A first step for banks not already using RegTech?  Develop an implementation road map for one specific need (e.g. BSA / AML) which aligns to the overall strategic vision of the organization (in this case, a desire to grow through acquisition).

Interesting Reads on RegTech

Multiple presentations touched on how and where banks can maximize the potential benefits of their RegTech endeavors by addressing key risks; for instance: uncertain development paths, provider reliability, increased regulatory scrutiny, limited judgment and privacy concerns.  For those looking to go deeper on these issues:

  1. PwC authored a Regulatory Brief that discusses (a) how banks are using RegTechs, (b) the current RegTech landscape, and (c) what banks should do to prepare for RegTech.
  2. Continuity offers an e-book along with a step-by-step system for predictable, repeatable compliance results.
  3. Ascent blogs about the impact of artificial intelligence on regulatory compliance in its Top 5 Ways AI in Compliance Will Affect You in 2017.

Multiple members of the team shared insight and inspiration with #RegTech18 on Twitter (usually tying into our @Fin_X_Tech and @BankDirector handles).  Finally, be sure to check out BankDirector.com (no subscription required) as our editorial team offers up a number of perspectives on RegTech and this year’s event.

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FI Tip Sheet: Some of Banking’s Best CEOs

Last month on Yahoo Finance, Sydney Finkelstein, professor of management and an associate dean at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, produced a list of the Best CEOs of 2013, one that includes Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Pony Ma of Tencent,  John Idol of Michael Kors, Reed Hastings of Netflix and Akio Toyoda of Toyota.  Inspired by his picks, I reached out to a number of colleagues that work for professional services firms to ask their thoughts on the top CEOs at financial institutions — along with why they hold them in such regard.  What follows in this morning’s tip sheet are myriad thoughts on some of the best CEOs in the business today — broken down into three categories: the “biggest banks” with $50Bn+ in assets, those with more than $5Bn but less than $50Bn and finally, those in the $1Bn to $5Bn size range.

AboutThatRatio = image for Jan 10.001

(1) Top CEOs at financial institutions over $50Bn

The names and logos of institutions over $50Bn — think M&T with some $83Bn in assets, KeyCorps with $90Bn, PNC with $305Bn and US Bancorp with $353Bn — are familiar to most.  Leading these massive organizations are some tremendously talented individuals; for example, John Stumpf, the CEO at Wells Fargo.  Multiple people shared their respect for his leadership of the fourth largest bank in the U.S. (by assets) and the largest bank by market capitalization.  According to Fred Cannon, the Director of Research at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, John “has created and maintains a unified culture around one brand, (one) that demonstrates strength and stability.  Wells is exhibit #1 in the case for large banks not being bad.”

Similarly, U.S. Bancorp’s Richard Davis garnered near universal respect, with PwC’s Josh Carter remarking “Richard has continued to steer US bank through stormy seas, continuing to stay the course running into the downturn, taking advantage of their position of relative strength, weathering the National Foreclosure issues and managing to avoid being considered part of ‘Wall Street’ even though US Bank is one of the 6 largest banks in the U.S.”

Finally, Steve Steinour, the CEO at Huntington Bancshares, inspired several people to comment on his work at the $56Bn institution.  Case-in-point, Bill Hickey, the co-Head of the Investment Banking Group at Sandler O’Neill, pointed out that since taking the helm in 2009, Steve has led a “remarkable turnaround… Huntington is now a top performer and is positioned to be the dominant regional bank in the Midwest.”

(2) Top CEOs at financial institutions between $5Bn and $50Bn

For banks between $5Bn and $50Bn, Greg Becker at Silicon Valley Bank garnered quite a few votes.  Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, I think they are one of the most innovative banks out there — and several people marveled that it has only grown and diversified under Greg’s leadership.  According to Josh Carter, “what they’re doing is a good example of how a bank can diversify their lending approach while maintaining a prudent credit culture.”  This echoes what Fred Cannon shared with me; specifically, that the $23Bn NASDAQ-listed institution is “the premier growth bank with a differentiated product.”  

Fred also cited the leadership of David Zalman, the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Prosperity Bancshares Inc., a $16 billion Houston, Texas-based regional financial holding company listed on the NYSE.  According to Fred, David demonstrates how to grow and integrate through acquisitions that is a model for other bank acquirors.  C.K. Lee, Managing Director for Investment Banking at Commerce Street Capital, elaborated on David’s successes, noting their development “from a small bank outside Houston to one of the most disciplined and practiced acquirers in the country and more than $20 billion in assets. The stock has performed consistently well for investors and the acquired bank shareholders – and now they are looking for additional growth outside Texas.”

Keeping things in the Lone Star state, C.K. also mentioned Dick Evans at Frost Bank.  In C.K.’s words, “this is a bank that stayed true to its Texas roots, maintained a conservative lending philosophy, executed well on targeted acquisitions and a created distinctive brand and culture. As Texas grew into an economic powerhouse, Frost grew with it and Mr. Evans was integral to that success.”

Finally, Nashville’s Terry Turner, the CEO of Pinnacle Financial Partners, drew Bill Hickey’s praise, as he “continues to successfully take market share from the larger regional competitors in Nashville and Knoxville primarily as the result of attracting and retaining high quality bankers. Financial performance has been impressive and as a result, continues to trade at 18x forward earnings and 2.4x tangible book value.”

(3) Top CEOs at financial institutions from $1Bn to $5Bn

For CEOs at banks from $1Bn to $5Bn, men like Rusty Cloutier of MidSouth Bank (“a banker’s banker”), David Brooks of Independent Bank Group (“had a breakout year in 2013”) and Leon Holschbach from Midland States Bancorp (“they’ve not only grown the bank but added significant presence in fee-income businesses like trust/wealth management and merchant processing”) drew praise.  So too did Jorge Gonzalez at City National Bank of Florida.  According to PwC’s Josh Carter, Jorge took over a smaller bank in 2007 “with significant deposit concentrations, large exposures to South Florida Real Estate, weathered a pretty nasty turn in the economy and portfolio value and emerged with a much stronger bank, diversified loan portfolio and retained key relationships.  Jorge has also managed to maintained an exceptional service culture, with a significant efficiency level and has combined relationship driven sales to grow the bank.  Jorge has also diversified the product mix and is one of the few smaller banks that can really deliver on the small bank feel with big bank capabilities.”

In addition, Banner Bank’s CEO, Mark Grescovich, won points for his work at the commercial bank headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington.  Mark became CEO in August 2010 (prior to joining the bank, Mark was the EVP and Chief Corporate Banking Officer for the $24Bn, Ohio-based standout FirstMerit). In Fred Cannon’s words, the transformation “is truly exceptional and Mark accomplished this by encouraging and utilizing a talented team of bankers from legacy Banner.”

Finally, Ashton Ryan at First NBC in New Orleans is one I’ve been told to watch.  Indeed, C.K. Lee shared how “Ryan capitalized on the turmoil in New Orleans banking to turn in strong organic growth, with targeted acquisitions along the way. The bank is recently public and has been rewarded by the market with a strong currency to go with its strong balance sheet and earnings.”

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In addition to the list above, I have been very impressed by Peter Benoist at Enterprise Bank in St. Louis, look up to Michael Shepherd, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Bank of the West and BancWest Corporation and respect the vision of Frank Sorrentino at ConnectOne.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I realize there are many, many more leaders who deserve praise and recognition.  Click the “+” button on the bottom right of this page to comment on this piece and let me know who else might be recognized for their leadership prowess.

Aloha Friday!

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Giving Thanks

Winston Churchill once said, “a pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  I believe we all aspire to see the proverbial glass as half full — so this quote is one I thought to share as we wrap up this Thanksgiving week.  As I do each Friday, what follows are three things I’m thinking about; in this case, what I’m grateful for — in a professional sense — that reflects Churchill’s sentiment.

(1) The Harvard Business Review ran a piece this April entitled Three Rules for Making a Company Truly Great.  It began “much of the strategy and management advice that business leaders turn to is unreliable or impractical. That’s because those who would guide us underestimate the power of chance.”  Here, I want to pause and give thanks to my tremendous colleagues at Bank Director — dreamers and implementors alike — who prove that fortune really does favor the prepared mind (and team).

Al, Mika, Joan + Bill in Jackson, WY
Team pix at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans
Makin’ it rain with our editor, Jack Milligan
The Arizona Biltmore, home of 2014’s Acquire or Be Acquired conference
Surprised (pleasantly) by our team with this video in Times Square
Signing off!
Michelle, me, Naomi and Laura at the Ritz-Carlton
Bailing out the car in South Central LA
Take a stance fellas
The JackAl in action
Some of our team celebrating 3 years
Closing bell at the NASDAQ MarketSite

(2) I believe that leadership is a choice and not a position.  As a small company with big ambitions, I find that setting specific directions — but not methods — motivates our team to perform at a high level and provide outstanding support and service to our clients.  This parallels the principle value of McKinsey & Co., one eloquent in its simplicity: “we believe we will be successful if our clients are successful.”  I read this statement a number of years ago, and its stuck with me ever since.  As proud as I am for our company’s growth, we owe so much to the trust placed in us by nearly 100 companies and countless banks.  Personally, I am in debt to many executives for accelerating my understanding of issues and ideas that would take years to accumulate in isolation.  Since returning to Bank Director three years ago, I have been privileged to share time with executives from standout professional services firms like KBW, Sandler O’Neill, Raymond James, PwC, KPMG, Crowe, Grant Thornton, Davis Polk, Covington, Fiserv… and the list goes on and on.  These are all great companies that support financial institutions in significant ways.  Spending time with executives within these firms affords me a great chance to hear what’s trending, where challenges may arise and opportunities they anticipate for their clients.  As such, I am thankful to be in a position where no two days are the same — and my chance to learn never expires.

(3) Finally, I so appreciate the support that I receive from my constituents throughout our industry.  It might be an unexpected compliment from a conference attendee, a handwritten thank you note from a speaker or the invitation to share my perspectives with another media outlet.  Regardless of how it takes shape, let me pay forward this feeling by thanking our newest hires, Emily Korab, Taylor Spruell and Dawn Walker, for expressing an interest in the team we’ve assembled and goals we’ve set.  Taking the leap to join a company of 17 strong might scare some towards larger organizations, but I’m really excited to work with all three and expect great things from each.

A late Happy Thanksgiving and of course, Aloha Friday!

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Back in the Saddle

A summer vacation sunset
A summer vacation sunset

It’s been a few weeks since I last shared what I’ve heard, learned or discussed on this site. Yes, vacation treated me well. But I’m excited to get back into the swing of things and especially pleased to welcome two new people to the Bank Director team: Katy Prejeant and Jake Massey. Both can be followed on Twitter @BankDirectorAE and @WJ_Massey. As always, what follows are three things that relate to bank executives and boards that caught my eye and/or ear this week.

(1) Drive a few hours west of our Nashville offices and you can find Memphis-based Mercer Capital. The advisory firm assists banks, thrifts and credit unions with “corporate valuation requirements and transactional services.” Each month, their Bank Watch newsletter pulls together a series of articles from around the web. From stress testing to Basel III, ESOPs to a Midwestern public bank peer report, there are some interesting reads this month. But one that caught my eye wasn’t in their report – it can be found on their main site. It’s a white paper on Creating the Potential for Shared Upside. Authored by Jeff Davis (a speaker at last year’s Acquire or Be Acquired conference), the piece reviews various financial issues arising when community banks merge or sell to a larger, public institution. With many anticipating an upswing in M&A deals in the second half of 2013, it is an interesting perspective to consider.

(2) In past posts, I have noted how the banking industry is a mature one. That is, where competing on price with the BofA’s of the world may best be seen as a fool’s errand. Nonetheless, McKinsey’s classic article on “Setting Value, Not Price” should be a must read this week. While not specific to the financial space, they lay out a reality where ”people buy products and services not on price alone but on customer value: the relationship between costs and benefits.” Although this trade-off has long been recognized as critical for marketing, this month’s “Insights & Publications” shows that businesses frequently get their price–benefit position wrong. They wrote in 1997 that “value” may be one of the most overused and misused terms in marketing and pricing. If you’re game, drop me a line below and let me know if you agree this is still the case.

(3) Spend any time talking with a bank’s CEO, and keeping pace with technology (and by extension, technology risk management) is sure to come up in a discussion that involves improving their business, brand and reputation. According to a new “FS Viewpoints” published by PwC, financial institutions have, for too long, “viewed technology risk management as a defensive tactic or regulatory compliance activity.” Based on the consultancy’s observations, “existing approaches to technology risk management often provide limited value to the business.” They see a real opportunity to leverage technology risk management to provide strategic business value. This piece shows how leading institutions are shifting their focus on risk management, moving from a fragmented and reactive compliance approach to a more balanced, business-aligned, risk-based strategy.
Aloha Friday!

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Snowquester’d

The White House on 12/18/09
My attempts at photography: the White House on 12/18/09…

Summary: Yes, it’s snowing in the DMV… no, this picture of the White House doesn’t capture today’s totals just yet.  Nonetheless, the run on gas, food and firewood started early yesterday.  So what better time to post something new to About That Ratio than with the snow coming down and the power and wi-fi still on?

I’ve already touched on “Rebooting the Bank;” with today’s piece, I’m taking a look at “rebooting the branch.”  Whereas Brett King inspired my previous entry, credit for today’s falls to PwC.

Recently, I’ve had the chance to talk with several of the firm’s partners about the rise of the digitally driven consumer and commensurate high-cost infrastructure of physical banking locations.  I believe we’re in agreement that if the branch model stays on its current course, it will become a financial burden to banks; ultimately, cutting deep into cross-channel profitability.  So today, I thought to share some information produced by PwC that looks at reinventing branch banking in a multi-channel, global environment.

Yes, the branch of the future has a critical place in banks’ overall channel strategy.  However, in its December “FS Viewpoint,” the professional services firm cites the cost of a branch transaction being approximately 20x higher than a mobile transaction… and more than 40x higher than an online one.  Consequently, banks are beginning to adopt a mix of the following five branch models in order to compete and improve their ROI:

  1. Assisted self-service branches that cater to retail and small-business customers on the go with high-function kiosks;
  2. In-store and corporate branches; for example, in grocery stores and corporate office buildings;
  3. Full-service branches that provide one-stop banking (sales and service) to retail and small-business customers who prefer privacy and face-to-face interactions;
  4. Community centers that have a smaller footprint than traditional branches; and
  5. Flagship stores that deliver sales and advisory expertise while showcasing emerging capabilities to sophisticated customers.

The logic behind a mixed approach?  It increases the bank’s geographic relevance to consumers and balances customer needs, revenue opportunities and cost to achieve growth.

Anecdotally, I’ve recently talked with two CEOs, Ray Davis from Umpqua and Stephen Steinour from Huntington, about their branching strategies in advance of keynote speeches they’ve made at our Acquire or Be Acquired and Lending conferences.  It strikes me that when banks like theirs assess a prospective branching opportunity, they deliberate on things like:

  • How do you develop specific financial criteria for measuring branch performance;
  • How do you decide whether the best path to building customers is adding branches, or operating with a more centralized marketing strategy; and
  • What are the advantages — and potential pitfalls — of growing a branch network.

So as the snow continues to fall outside, I’m digging deeper into PwC’s perspectives.  As a “bonus” to the white paper referenced about, let me also share a video from the firm “Look Before You Leap: Analyze Customer and Business Impact Carefully Before Implementing Product Change.”  While the title is a mouthful, the message, pretty succinct.

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