News
A new study shows that core deposit growth may be the best indicator of which banks have true staying power in the years to come. A consultant with Capital Performance Group explained that low interest rates and a tough regulatory environment kept net interest margins largely flat last year, but as rates inch up, banks of all sizes are going to be increasingly hungry for core deposits.
Alan Hargett, executive vice president of Planters Bank & Trust Co. in Indianola, and Gee Gee Patridge, executive officer and chief operations officer for BankPlus in Ridgeland, have been elected to the Board of Directors. Brian Hughes, vice president of PriorityOne Bank in Pearl, has been elected to the Executive Council of the MS Young Bankers. Congratulations to all officers on their new positions!
Sunrise Banks has received local coverage for its CDFI status.The article highlights the work of public-benefit corporations in the Twin Cities who have received designation as such from the Minnesota State Legislature, and features a quote from Sunrise Banks CEO David Reiling.
Virginia Community Capital has outgrown its office in downtown Richmond and is moving into a larger building in Henrico County. “After almost ten years, in our space downtown, we now require a larger space for our Richmond team. This is an exciting step for VCC, as it is indicative of our continued growth and impact across the state,” wrote Jane Henderson, CEO of VCC.
The CDFI Fund is issuing a call for well-qualified persons to serve as remote-location application reviewers for the 2017 application round of the Capital Magnet fund. Reviewers much have considerable expertise in community and economic development finance. The CDFI Fund has contracted with F2 Solutions to recruit reviewers. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis until 5pm EDT on Friday, August 4, 2017. If you are interested, please send a brief email indicating your interest to: CMFReview@F2Solutions.com.
Urban Partnership Bank recently served as a sponsor for the 4th annual Financial Services Pipeline Intern Career Conference in Chicago; the conference aimed to expose more African Americans and Latinos to financial careers in an effort to increase interest and representation in this field. Urban Partnership Bank was among the various companies on hand to provide guidance, expertise, and opportunities to the interns.
In response to the House Appropriations Committee’s approved top line at just $190 million for the CDFI Fund in FY2018, the Credit Builders Alliance asked its CDFI members to forward a survey to their borrowers. The results of the survey resoundingly disprove the contention that CDFIs are no longer needed, which President Trump insinuated in his budget blueprint by declaring that “the CDFI fund was created more than 20 years ago to jump-start a now mature industry.” In the survey, 57% of respondents said that their CDFI loan helped them to start of grow a business.
According to a survey recently conducted by the American Bankers Association, Americans overwhelmingly believe that our economy needs banks of all sizes, and a majority is concerned about the falling number of banks. The survey demonstrated that Americans widely understand the benefits that banks bring to their communities: 79% agreed that they play an important role through financial education offerings and community event sponsorships, and 87% agreed that they help support local businesses.
A recent Forrester benchmarking study examined mobile offerings for retail customers of various banks and found that many of their mobile apps lacked functions that would not require a large investment by the banks to implement. Minor functions such as the ability to search for items within an app or the ability to sort transactions are often overlooked, which can hinder a user’s experience. For community banks, which don’t have the budgets of their larger counterparts to spend on digital upgrades, Forrester’s advice is particularly relevant.