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OLDER AMERICANS have lost an alarming amount of money to investment scams in recent years. In 2023, for example, people 50 and older reported more than $900 million in investment-related [...]

This article presents a roundtable discussion with CFOs from community banks, covering a range of topics including reserve management, interest rate duration risk, the evolving role of the CFO, and the impact of the current rate environment on earnings growth. The CFOs also highlight the significance of technological advancement and the CFO's responsibility in understanding and addressing potential threats. The text emphasizes the need for careful evaluation of new technology, particularly in IT, and stresses the importance of having a knowledgeable and vigilant IT manager. The article also mentions an upcoming CFO Forum where key issues facing CFOs will be discussed, such as tax and accounting strategies, credit risk management, and cybersecurity. [Extracted from the article]

Attention appraisers seeking bank work: Reviewers are looking for reports that are clear, well-documented and delivered on time. They're also looking for appraisers who can provide additional information and clarification [...]

There was nothing routine about a recent assignment Eric Garfield, MAI, accepted to appraise a multimillion-dollar home. To start with, it was an international assignment and the property was in [...]

Ray Fuerschbach knew the work environment was changing by the way applicants were showing up for interviews. 'I was seeing orange hair, blue hair, purple hair, jeans for interviews, bare [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Banks have always had an affinity for green. But these days, going green is taking on a whole new meaning. Within the past year several community banks have [...]

Attention community banks that sell investment products. If you haven't done so already, it's a good time to give yourself a compliance check-up. During volatile markets like we've had over [...]

When Thomas Grahill began his career in banking, he had no one to turn to for help and advice. That's why when be hired D. Russell Taylor, he set out [...]

Sixty-one-year-old Christine Pellett, MAI, started saving for retirement when she was in her 30s, socking away as much as she could each month and taking advantage of various tax-deferred investment [...]

Automation can greatly benefit community banks by eliminating mundane and repetitive tasks related to financial reporting. About 30% of employee capacity at community banks is wasted on tasks that could easily be automated, such as day-end processing and year-end activities. Automation can deliver the same capabilities with more speed and accuracy, while also providing benefits such as better audit trails and immediate identification of exceptions. Community National Bank, for example, has seen a 30% time savings from its financial automation efforts. Automation can also streamline reconciliation processes and create rules for auto-reconciliation, resulting in significant time savings. While there is a cost to automation, the long-term time and money savings make it worthwhile. Intelligent automation can be applied to multiple areas across the bank, reducing the time and effort spent on mundane tasks. [Extracted from the article]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What do ice tea, a high-spirited business woman, and a man with lipstick kisses spattered on his face and neck have in common? They are all part of [...]

For several years North Country Savings Bank has been working to become more efficient from a technology standpoint. Along the way, it's become more environmentally friendly as well. The Canton, [...]

Charles E. Allen Jr. knew his bank was a good place to work. But when he saw other companies being recognized for their efforts, he figured, why not us? So [...]

WHEN ACB SECOND VICE CHAIRMAN FREDERICK WILLETTS III walks into a branch of Cooperative Bank, he finds the staff friendly and knowledgeable. But to his chagrin, they get even friendlier [...]

For the past several years, Heartland Financial USA Inc. of Dubuque, Iowa, has been in makeover mode. It's out with the old carpeting, wallpaper, and nature photos in many of [...]

Not all banks and fintechs are on board with numberless cards, and some payment professionals question whether they are worth the cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banks that don't focus on credit cards for this market may find larger banks and fintechs are eating their lunch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As 2024 comes to a close, trends such as open banking, fights over credit card fees and the future of faster payments are still in flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use cases are growing and banks don't want to risk being left behind, especially with younger customers who are more open to the technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain-powered transactions for businesses are still in their infancy, but use is expected to grow and banks stand to lose if they don't get up to speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retailers like Walmart, Target and Dollar General are changing the ways they collect payments in person. This, in turn, could influence payment habits, but it is unlikely to slow the overall momentum of digital transactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Payment professionals expect physical cards to stick around for the foreseeable future, even as mobile wallets gain traction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bank of America, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank are among the institutions taking advantage of regulatory tailwinds to get more aggressive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As regulators and Congress push for stronger consumer protections as losses mount, payment experts say there are steps companies should be taking now to respond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new bank-led digital wallet is signing up financial institutions, but payment experts say broadening its merchant base and reaching consumers will be an uphill climb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crooks can use deepfakes and other machine learning tools to circumvent traditional authentication security methods. Payment experts discuss how firms can protect themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goldman Sachs, Capital One and Wells Fargo have all suffered pitfalls in their merchant partnerships. Payment experts discuss how issuers can keep retailers and consumers onboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bank of America, Citigroup, HSBC and others are increasingly using sustainable and recycled materials for manufacturing [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Westpac, Capital One and JPMorgan Chase are offering savings accounts and debit cards to children below 10, using financial literacy to get an edge in building consumer relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The payment option has grown beyond underbanked consumers. For issuers, a $1 trillion market is at stake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After being flat for about a year, banks' variable annuity (VA) sales reached an all-time high in the first quarter of 2006, but observers doubt this trend will last. The [...]

After being flat for about a year, variable annuity sales through banks reached an all-time high in the first quarter, but observers say second-quarter prospects do not appear as promising. [...]

Convinced that variable annuity growth is being stymied by high costs, Raymond James Financial Inc. says it will cut its commissions to address the problem. Starting in August, the St. [...]

To address investors' hearty appetite for exchange-traded funds, Federated Investors Inc. has started offering three target maturity funds that invest mainly in ETFs. According to industry consultants, Federated is one [...]

Scottrade Inc. has clung to its independence over the past several years, relying on low commissions and comparatively extensive branch network to compete with the biggest firms in the rapidly [...]

After a sleepy 2005 in variable annuity sales, the outlook is brightening, an analyst says, and Jackson National Life's first-quarter results -- its best quarter ever for variable annuity sales [...]

The big box retailer's move comes amid a broader decline for the traditional payment option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]