A generation ago, bankers could count on young people –piggy banks in hand -- riding their parents’ coattails to the neighborhood branch. As the years passed a kid who opened a savings account at 10 opened a checking account or a student loan at the same bank before heading off to college at 18. In a few years, that meant a mortgage, a college fund for their children, or an … [Read more...]
Develop Marketing Plans, Not Severance Plans
New banking regulations, reduced loan volume and intense competition are causing banks all over the country to search for ways to cut overhead. FDIC data shows that small banks as a group are less efficient than the larger ones. In the most recent quarter, 76 cents of every $1 in revenue at banks with less than $100 million in assets was used to cover expenses. At the larger … [Read more...]
Bye, Bye Banks
Let’s all say goodbye to banking as we know it. The writing is on the wall. Or, should we say, the writing is in the new Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. For many years, community banks have handled the financial needs of local towns and communities. These banks took in deposits, made loans, and earned a small margin in between. Then someone in our government decided … [Read more...]