Author: Al Dominick

I am the Chief Executive Officer of a privately-held company that provides data analysis, research and advisory services to the C-Suite and boards of financial and healthcare companies. For years, I have delighted in bringing in business, building relationships and getting difficult things done. Today, I am a bridge between key decision makers; for instance, the C-suite at both FinTechs and Banks. I regularly present on, speak to and write about emerging issues immediately relevant to executives & boards of directors. While my professional role as CEO certainly influences my writing, the views I share on my social sites reflect my own personal opinions.
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3 Quick Takeaways from #fintech16 (aka Bank Director’s FinTech Day at Nasdaq’s MarketSite)

As evidenced by the various conversations at yesterday’s FinTech Day, the next few years promises to be one of profound transformation in the financial sector.

By Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

At a time when changing consumer behavior and new technologies are inspiring innovation throughout the financial services community, I had a chance to open this year’s FinTech Day program with a look at how collaboration between traditional institutions and emerging technology firms bodes well for the future.  With continuous pressure to innovate, banks today are learning from new challengers, adapting their offerings and identifying opportunities to collaborate. At the same time, we continue to watch as many fintech companies develop strategies, practices and new technologies that will dramatically influence how banking gets done in the future.

Personally, I believe this is a very exciting time to be in banking — a sentiment shared by the vast majority of the 125+ that were with us at Nasdaq’s MarketSite yesterday.  While I plan to go deeper into some of the presentations made in subsequent posts and columns on BankDirector.com, below are three slides from my welcoming remarks that various attendees asked me to share.

7 elements of a digital bank - by Bank Director and FinXTech

For the above image, my team took a step into an entrepreneurs shoe’s and envisioned an opportunity to build a new, digital-only bank from the ground up.  We consider these seven facets as base elements for success — and the companies listed provide real-life examples of financial institutions & fintechs alike that we see “doing it right.”

FinTech Day Deck1 (dragged)

The irony of sharing an idea for a new bank?  Newly chartered banks (de novos) are basically extinct.  So for a program like FinTech Day, I thought it was imperative to provide context to the U.S. banking market by looking at the total number of FDIC-insured institutions.  These numbers are accurate as of last Friday.

FinTech Day Deck1 (dragged) 1

This final slide comes from our annual Acquire or Be Acquired conference in Arizona.  There, we welcomed 930+ to explore financial growth options available to a bank’s CEO and board.  To open our second full day, I polled our audience using a real-time response device to see how likely they are to invite a fintech company in for a conversation.  As you can see from the results above, real opportunities remain for meaningful dialogue and partnership discussions.

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Thanks to all who joined us, the speakers that shard their insights and opinions and our friends from Nasdaq!

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March 1 is FinTech Day

Tomorrow is FinTech Day… here is what you need to know in advance of this exclusive one-day event.

What: Bank Director’s FinTech Day

When: Tuesday, March 1 2016

Where: Nasdaq’s MarketSite (4 Times Square – 43rd & Broadway)

Overview: The next few years promises to be one of profound transformation in the financial sector. Clearly, the fabric of the industry continues to evolve as new technology players emerge and traditional participants transform their business models. At FinTech Day, we address trends like the personalization of banking, the challenges of scaling a company in our highly regulated industry and what shifting customer expectations portend for all.  For the full agenda, click here.

Who is coming: Attendee lists are provided to all confirmed; unfortunately, we are at capacity and cannot accept any additional registrations.  Below, I highlight the various businesses represented.

A look at who is coming to Bank Director and FinXTech's FinTech Day on March 1

FinXTech: In addition to connecting participants from across the community, I am  excited to introduce a new digital division — FinXTech — to provide authoritative, relevant and trusted content for (a) Fintech companies who view banks as potentially valuable channel or distribution partners; (b) Banks over $1B looking to grow and/or innovate with fintech companies’ help and support; and (c) Investors and services firms interested in helping to shape the future of banking.

Misc: To follow the conversation, I invite you to follow me @aldominick or use #FinTech16.  In honor of the occasion, I will be ringing the closing bell (flanked by Joan Susie, Chairman of Bank Director and Kelsey Weaver, Publisher of Bank Director + our speakers and various executives from fintech companies and high performing banks).  So if you want to see how we wrap things up at 4:00 PM ET, I invited you to turn on CNBC, MSNBC, etc.

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Fintech in 2016: A Whole Lot of Collaboration

While some of the largest and most established financial institutions have struck relationships with various financial technology firms (and not just startups / early stage), opportunities for meaningful partnerships abound.  At Bank Director’s annual FinTech Day at Nasdaq’s MarketSite in Times Square next Tuesday, we explore — with executives from the companies depicted above — what’s really possible when banks and fintechs collaborate to help each other’s businesses accelerate and scale.

By Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

A fundamental truth: individuals, along with business owners, have more choices than ever before in terms of where, when and how they bank. So a big challenge — and dare I suggest, opportunity — for leadership teams at financial institutions and fintech companies alike entails aligning services & product mixes to suit core customers’ current interests and prospective one’s expectations.

Yesterday, I shared how the fabric of the financial industry continues to evolve as new technology players emerge and traditional participants transform their business models. Indeed, many fintech companies are developing strategies, practices and new technologies that will dramatically influence how banking “gets done” in the future. However, within this period of change — where considerable market share will be up for grabs — I believe that ambitious organizations can leapfrog both traditional and emerging rivals.

Clearly, bank CEOs and their teams must seek new ways to not just stay relevant but to stand out.  While a number of banks seek to extend their footprint and franchise value through acquisition, many more aspire to build the bank internally. Some show organic growth as they build their base of core deposits and expand their customer relationships; others see the value of collaborating with fintech companies.

For a bank CEO and his/her executive team, knowing who’s a friend, and who’s a potential foe, is hugely important.  Personally, I have found this to be quite difficult for many regardless of their size or market.  Moreover, I find this to be a two-sided challenge in the sense that for a fintech founder or executive, identifying those banks open to partnering with, investing in or even acquiring a company like the one they run presents as great a challenge as it does opportunity.

So as more & more fintech companies look to partner with legacy players — and banks warm to such a dynamic — I am excited to think about the creative new partnerships that can be explored to ease payment processes, reduce fraud, save users money, promote financial planning and ultimately, move our giant industry forward.

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FinTech Day is One Week Away

The fabric of the financial industry continues to evolve as new technology players emerge and traditional participants transform their business models. Through partnerships, acquisitions or direct investments, incumbents and upstarts alike have many real and distinct opportunities to grow and scale.  If 2015 was all about startups talking less about disruption and more about cooperation, I see 2016 as the year that banks reciprocate.

By Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

Next Tuesday, at Nasdaq’s MarketSite in Time Square, our team hosts our annual “FinTech Day.” With so many new companies pushing their way into markets and product lines that traditionally have been considered the banking industry’s turf, we look at what fintech means for traditional banks. Likewise, we explore where emerging fintech players may become catalysts for significant change with the support of traditional players.  When it comes to trends like the personalization of banking, the challenges of scaling a company in our highly regulated industry and what shifting customer expectations portend for banks and fintechs alike, we have a full day planned. Take a look at some of the issues we will address.

Riding The Wave Of Change
Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director
Robert H. McCooey, Jr., Senior Vice President of Listing Services, Nasdaq

At a time when changing consumer behavior and new technologies are inspiring innovation throughout the financial services community, we open this year’s program with a look at how collaboration between traditional institutions and emerging technology firms bodes well for the future.

Banking’s New DNA
Michael M. Carter, CEO, BizEquity
Vivian Maese, Partner, Latham & Watkins
Eduardo Vergara, Head of Payments Services & Global Treasury Product Sales, Silicon Valley Bank
Moderated by: Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

With continuous pressure to innovate, banks today are learning from new challengers, adapting their offerings and identifying opportunities to collaborate.  With this opening session, we focus on the most pressing issues facing banks as they leverage new tools and technologies to compete.

Who Has the Power to Transform Banking
Jeana Deninger, Senior Vice President, Marketing, CoverHound, Inc.
Brooks Gibbins, Co-Founder & General Partner, FinTech Collective
Colleen Poynton, Vice President, Core Innovation Capital
Moderated by: Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

While fintech startups continue to spearhead the technological transformation of financial services, recent efforts by systemically important financial institutions call into question who reallly has the power to tranform banking. From an investment perspective, recent market turmoil may put some opportunities on hold – while others now have a higher, sharper bar to clear. In this session, we talk to investors about the traits that they look for when backing a venture in the context of a changing economic environment.

Opportunities to Reinvigorate the Banking Industry
Tom Kimberly, General Manager, Betterment Institutional
Thomas Jankovich, Principal & Innovation Leader, US Financial Services Practice, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Pete Steger, Head of Business Development, Kabbage, Inc.
Moderated by: Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

Many fintech companies are developing strategies, practices and new technologies that will dramatically influence how banking gets done in the future. However, within this period of upheaval – where considerable market share will be up for grabs – ambitious banks can leapfrog both traditional and new rivals. During this hour, we explore various opportunities for financial services companies to reinvigorate the industry.

Opportunities to Financially Participate in Fintech
Joseph S. Berry, Jr., Managing Director, Co-Head of Depositories Investment Banking, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. A Stifel Company
Kai Martin Schmitz, Leader FinTech Investment LatAm, Global FinTech Investment Group, International Finance Corporation
Moderated by: Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

While large, multinational banks have made a series of investments in the fintech community, there is a huge, untapped market for banks to become an early-stage investor in fintech companies. Based on the day’s prior conversations, this session looks at opportunities for banks to better support emerging companies looking to grow and scale with their support.

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While this special event on March 1 is sold out, you can follow the conversations by using #Fintech16 @aldominick @bankdirector @finxtech and @bankdirectorpub.  And as a fun fact, I’ll be ringing the closing bell next Tuesday flanked by our Chairman and our Head of Innovation.  So if you are by a television and can turn on CNN, MSNBC, Fox, etc at 3:59, you’ll see some smiling faces waving at the cameras.

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Banks Are Feeling the Pressure to Grow

Bank executives and board members are feeling significant pressures to grow in 2016, according to Bank Director’s 2016 Bank Mergers & Acquisitions Survey, sponsored by Crowe Horwath LLP.

By Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

Bank CEOs and their boards face some very significant challenges in the years ahead.  The sharply increased cost of regulatory compliance might lead some to seek a buyer; others have responded by trying to get bigger through acquisitions in order to spread the costs over a wider base.  While transforming a franchise through organic growth is desirable, I continue to see mergers & acquisitions (M&A) remaining the fastest avenue for growth in banking today.

For those who joined us at our annual Acquire or Be Acquired Conference last month, you may recall that Bank Director’s team surveyed 260 chief executive officers, chairmen, independent directors and senior executives of U.S. banks in advance of the conference to examine current attitudes and challenges regarding M&A — and what drives banks to buy and sell.  Three points stand out to me:

  1. Of the respondents who served as a board member or executive of a bank that was sold from 2012 to 2015, a full 55% say they sold because shareholders wanted to cash out.
  2. Despite concerns that regulatory costs are causing banks to sell, just 27% cite this burden as a primary motivator.
  3. Credit quality issues are most often cited barriers for banks being able to complete acquisitions.

Certainly, “why banks are bought or sold” involves much more than just the numbers making sense.  At AOBA, it was made abundantly clear that M&A remains attractive inasmuch as successful transactions improve operating leverage, earnings, efficiency and scale.  Moreover, attendees shared during one of our interactive sessions that earnings potential is the most attractive characteristic of an institution they are interested in acquiring.

Bank Director and Crowe Horwath LLP AOBA info

In his “Buy Or Die In Phoenix: A Recap Of The 2016 Bank Director’s Acquire Or Be Acquired Conference,” Tim Melvin neatly summarizes the conundrum many bank CEOs face today.  “Competing against their bigger, better funded rivals is… (a) huge obstacle to growth. The days of opening branches on the other side of town, then the next town over and so on to grow a bank are over.”  He concludes by recounting a point made by Steve Hovde, an investment banker we’ve worked with for a number of years: “to thrive, you have to get bigger. To get bigger you probably have to buy and again, if you can’t buy you probably have to sell.”

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Community and Regional Banks are Crucial to the Vibrancy of Our Communities

As we head into the final day of Acquire or Be Acquired, its clear to me that there are some great opportunities for community and regional banks to compete effectively and recapture market share in 2016.

*Thanks to our keynote speaker, J. Michael Shepherd, Chairman & CEO, Bank of the West and BancWest Corporation for inspiring today’s title and video.

 

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Acquire or Be Acquired: Don’t Overlook This

Thanks to our keynote speaker, J. Michael Shepherd, pictured above. The Chairman & CEO, Bank of the West and BancWest Corporation, he inspired quite a few with both his wit and wisdom.

Over the past few days at Bank Director’s annual Acquire or Be Acquired conference, various speakers have touched on a number of key strategic growth issues.  From exploring an acquisition to growing loans, controlling expenses to managing capital, the discussions hit the “timely and relevant” standard that we consider essential.  They also reinforced my sense that more boards and their management teams are seriously considering an acquisition as their primary growth plan than at this time last year.

As our editor-in-chief opined, the heightened level of interest could certainly be explained by the continued margin pressure that banks have been operating under for the last several years.  For those thinking about buying another, my short video recap from the mid-way point of AOBA offers a heads up about a pre-deal consideration not to be overlooked.

 

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What’s Happening at Acquire or Be Acquired

Throughout the first day of Bank Director’s 22nd annual Acquire or Be Acquired Conference, I found quite a few presentations focused on the emergence of mid-sized regional banks that are growing through the consolidation of smaller banks.  Clearly, mergers & acquisitions provide an avenue for some banks to drive improved operating leverage, earnings, efficiency and scale.  At the same time, the pressures prompting larger banks to innovate — sluggish loan demand, depressed revenue, higher compliance costs — are the same ones forcing smaller banks to pursue a sale.

By Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

For those unfamiliar with “AOBA,” this annual event explores issues like the one mentioned above.  Since the conference kicked off at 8 AM on a Sunday, this morning’s post shares three short video recaps from my time at the Arizona Biltmore followed by links to recent posts specific to this conference.

In addition to these videos, below are links to four of my posts specific to the event:

If these types of conversations interest you, take a look at what we’re sharing on BankDirector.com.  Additionally, I invite you to follow me on Twitter via @AlDominick, the host company, @BankDirector, and search & follow #AOBA16 to see what is being shared with (and by) the 930 men & women in attendance.

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Current Challenges Facing Bank Executives in 2016 (a video overview from Acquire or Be Acquired)

The fun began bright & early here at the Arizona Biltmore, home of this year’s Acquire or Be Acquired conference.  This annual event explores a bank’s financial growth opportunities — and brings a significant number of bank CEOs, board members and C-level executives to the desert.  In this short video, I share a few key take aways from this morning’s presentations specific to the challenges being faced by bank CEOs in attendance.  Sorry, no mention of a flat yield curve (even though the interest rate environment certainly merits more then just this mention).

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Welcome to the Arizona Biltmore and Bank Director’s 22nd annual AOBA

As we prepare to kick off this year’s Acquire or Be Acquired conference, I offer my take on one theme I anticipate being brought up early — and discussed often: the return of regional acquirers who are positioning themselves to challenge the true big guys in banking.

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9 Banks I Bet People Will Be Talking About at Acquire or Be Acquired

I planned to write about a number of banks I was excited to see this weekend at AOBA.  But as Steve Jobs once shared “people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” In this spirit, let me highlight nine banks that I anticipate our attendees will be talking about in Arizona at Bank Director’s annual M&A conference.

In a few minutes, I’ll hop an American flight to Phoenix for this year’s Acquire or Be Acquired Conference.  Before I depart the cold and slush of D.C. for some warmth and sun in the desert, this is my take on the banks I anticipate people talking about when we’re all together:

  • Bank of the West — and not just because their CEO is keynoting this year’s conference.  The bank, with more than 700 branches in the Midwest and Western United States, has long been a personal favorite of mine and competes in markets where many look for inspiration.
  • Bank of North Carolina — because they’ve been wheeling and dealing and are a great example of how an acquirer successfully integrates cultures (*yes, their CEO also speaks at AOBA this year on a CEO panel entitled Finding the Right Partners).
  • United Bank — having picked up a trophy franchise of their own in my hometown (another personal favorite of mine, Bank of Georgetown) they’ve made a number of interesting deals over the past few years and I bet have more on their mind.
  • BB&T — having dealt for Susquehanna in ’14 and National Penn in ‘15, it is fair to ask: who’s next?

By no means are these all of the banks that will come up in conversation; rather, those that are top of mind.

One final thought before hopping my flight west.  The recent volatility in the stock market may be impacting institutions considering a capital raise, IPO or acquisition — but this week’s deal pace is far different then at this time in recent years.  The patterns I’m beginning to see is a concentrated effort to get to over the $5Bn asset mark and into that sweetest of spots: the $5Bn to $50Bn asset class.  A point I’ll elaborate on in an upcoming post/video.

So if you are interested in following the conference conversations via social channels, I invite you to follow me on Twitter via @AlDominick, the host company, @BankDirector, and search & follow #AOBA16 to see what is being shared with (and by) our attendees.  Safe travels to those 930 men & women joining us this weekend!

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Five Reasons Why Banks Might Consider Selling in 2016

You might think every bank CEO I meet wants to talk about buying another institution; truth-be-told, some recognize that tying up with another makes a lot of sense.  So this post looks at why now may be the right time for a bank’s CEO and board to consider a sale.  It plays off the idea that in many markets, organic growth options are limited and times are tough for banks, especially those under $1Bn in asset size.

By Al Dominick, President & CEO, Bank Director

Over the past three years, a number of bank executives and board members have struggled with whether to buy or sell their bank — or pursue growth independently.  Over the same time, Bank Director has welcomed more than 1,300 bankers — from more than 500 financial institutions — to our annual M&A conference to explore their short- and long-term options.

This year, those numbers go up in a BIG way. Indeed, we have 600 bankers from 300+ banks joining us at the Arizona Biltmore for “AOBA” this upcoming Sunday through Tuesday.  To me, this signals that more potential buyers & sellers are getting off the sidelines and into the bank merger and acquisition game.  So in advance of Bank Director’s 22nd annual conference, here are five challenges that a bank’s CEO and board might want to consider.

  • Peer-to-peer lenders, credit unions and some — not all — FinTech startups either are (or will be) fierce competitors to community banks.  In addition, non-bank giants in technology, retail, media, entertainment and telecom are making noise about entering banking.
  • When margins decline, bankers try to compensate by improving operational efficiencies.  While slow growth + strong cost controls may allow for short term survival, such an equation doesn’t bode well for the long-term viability of many institutions where investors expect more significant gains.
  • The pressures prompting larger banks to innovate — sluggish loan demand, depressed revenue, higher compliance costs — are the same ones that will continue to force smaller banks to pursue a sale.
  • Let’s face it: the typical bond between a bank and a customer is is not personal nor very strong and the absence of real customer loyalty undermines the traditional business model most banks operate from (*and yes, I know that banks with dedicated customer bases enjoy significant advantages over any potential competitors. But let’s be honest about how dedicated such customers really are).
  • Finally, at many community banks, older management teams and a dearth of local talent mean there may be no one to hand over the reins to in the coming years.

Now, it has been said that business is not about longevity, it is about relevance.  So as Bank Director’s team continues to gear up for this year’s Acquire or Be Acquired conference, these five questions merit serious conversation and consideration both leading up to, and at, our 22nd annual event. For those not able to join us — but interested in following conversations such as these — I invite you to follow me on Twitter via @AlDominick, the host company, @BankDirector, and search & follow #AOBA16 to see what is being shared by (and with) our attendees.