ElevateTALKS Michael Delucchi: Banking executive striving to Educate, Connect, & Inspire

Chris Richardson, Vice President of Sales for IZALE Financial joins host Michael Delucchi to discuss how bank-owned life insurance performed in 2020 compared to other assets, what bankers should be aware of for executive benefits in 2021, and presents fee income strategies financial institution can utilize in the new year to boost their bottom line.

Kurt Fritz, Partner & Managing Director for Performance Trust joins host Michael Delucchi to talk about yield curve control, negative interest rate policy, and strategies for community bankers during the pandemic.  Kurt who just started a banker focused blog called the “Fritz Report” shares his insights and ideas that can assist bankers to position their balance sheet during these challenging times as well as some stories from his time in the famous open cry pits at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
If you are a community bank executive, CFO, CCO, or bank director then this episode of ElevateTALKS is very timely, relevant, and for you.

The coronavirus chaos and its cascading impact on the financial markets and small and medium-sized business has made credit stress testing a vital tool for every community bank. Adam Mustafa, CEO and co-founder of the Invictus Group, joins host, Michael Delucchi to collectively share their thoughts on stress testing in the COVID-19 environment, how PPP loans and loan modifications can be incorporated into test scenarios, and loan loss reserve considerations during these unprecedented times.
With a long history in strategic analytics and stress testing, Adam discusses the importance of identifying the segments of the portfolio that are most vulnerable and how stress testing can assist bank executives to fully grasp the bank’s capital situation to determine if contingency plans such as deleveraging, cost-cutting, or changes to the dividend policy need to be pursued. Adam reveals how banks can use COVID-19 stress testing results to augment their qualitative factors for loan loss reserve accounting purposes.
This episode is ideal for any CEO, CCO, CFO, or bank executive to learn why proper stress tests, not the check-the-box stress tests that most banks use, can help banks to plan for the worst, develop timely strategic and contingent initiatives, while positioning them to take advantage of opportunities when the crisis is over.

As an effect of the Corona virus pandemic, bankers are balancing a multitude of pressing and important issues.  Whether it’s customers requesting loan modifications, an onslaught of Payroll Protection Loan applications, liquidity concerns, employee morale, or the potential regulatory oversight of the future – bank executives find themselves managing an incredible amount of concerns that directly impact the communities they serve. 
In this episode of ElevateTALKS Bart Smith, Managing Director & Partner at Performance Trust joins host Michael Delucchi and will take an audible journey through the CAMELS bank rating system and discuss strategies and insights of each key factor that bank executives are and should be considering.
If you are a community bank executive, CFO, CCO, or bank director then this episode of ElevateTALKS is very timely, relevant, and for you.

“Think big, start small!” Tune in to hear Tracy Basinger, executive vice president of the FRB’s Financial Institution Supervision and Credit Group (FISC) and Justin Wray, director of risk management for regional and community banks in FISC’s risk and policy analysis group as they discuss the Fed’s latest initiatives in technology, innovation, and the fintech space.
Listen as Tracy and Justin join host Michael Delucchi and discuss what’s changing in the industry, pain points, risk, opportunities, and engagement strategies for stakeholders.”
If you are a community bank executive, compliance professional, technology officer, or interested in what the FRB is doing in the way of technology, fintech, and innovation then this episode of ElevateTALKS is for you.
This episode was recorded on February 27, 2020 and due to the COVID-19 pandemic took some time to be edited and released

After nearly two years of anticipation, financial regulators unveiled their proposal in December to reform how they implement the Community Reinvestment Act and is now taking comments on these recommended changes through March 9th, 2020.   The plan will overhaul CRA assessment boundaries, criteria for activities earning credit in CRA exams and how banks are scored overall for their performance. If finalized, the proposal would be the first significant update to the 1977 law in over two decades.  While the plan has carve-out for banks with under $500 million of assets it may have a significant impact on the more than 650 financial institutions in the U.S. between $500 million and $1 billion in assets.
In this episode of ElevateTALKS CRA authority, Linda Ezuka joins host Michael Delucchi and discusses the current state of CRA reform, some of the key changes within the proposed rules, and how they may impact community banks.