Maggie L. Walker's Historic Mission of Financial Empowerment
Release Date: 02/17/2021
How a Georgia community bank engaged employees at 3X the national rate
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
According to , just 30 percent of American workers are engaged in their work. The rest are described as disengaged, with 17 percent actively disengaged, “which means they are literally trying to sabotage the organization,” notes Neil Stevens, president and CEO of Oconee State Bank in Oconee, Georgia. “Gallup also says that if you have a 70 percent or higher engagement score, you’re 23 percent more profitable than those with lower engagement scores. So engaged teams truly, in my mind, lead to healthier cultures, better customer retention.” On the latest episode of the...
info_outline
Tackling big goals for Financial Literacy Month
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
For Financial Literacy Month in April, the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by — features a conversation on how banks are engaging their communities with financial education. The ABA Foundation’s Kelsey Havemann discusses a brand-new K-2 curriculum launching soon, and Lindsay Torrico talks about the Foundation’s to help five million people get on the path to financial prosperity. from the ABA Foundation.
info_outline
The CEO view from Main Street
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
What’s the CEO-eye view on the U.S. economy, business conditions and the regulatory environment for banks? This week’s episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by — features a conversation with ABA’s Peter Cook and four bank CEOs from across the country. In the conversation, they discuss local economic conditions in their markets, how the “regulatory tsunami” is affecting banks of all sizes, the commercial real estate outlook, what they’re most excited for in the future of banking and more.
info_outline
The Points Guy on why credit card rewards matter
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
“These rewards are more than just Amex, Chase, Citi,” says Brian Kelly, founder of the popular travel site . “Well over half of Americans have some form of rewards, often through their community banks — and to a lot of people, cash back rewards.” This bonus episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by — features a conversation with Kelly and ABA President and CEO Rob Nichols from ABA’s Washington Summit. In this episode, Kelly discusses his personal story of getting involved with reward travel, his opposition to efforts to cap interchange or...
info_outline
Understanding the emerging bank M&A policy landscape
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
The banking agencies and the Justice Department are shifting how they assess and review bank mergers and acquisitions. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by — ABA SVP Hu Benton discusses what bankers need to know about potential deals and offers amid the wave of policy changes. Among other topics, Benton explores: The Justice Department’s of bank merger guidelines The FDIC’s on mergers. How mergers among national banks and federal thrifts. How bank mergers fit into the Biden administration and executive...
info_outline
An NFL-player-turned-banker helping today's student athletes
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
Forget Tom Brady: Most professional athletes don’t play well into their 40s. “You play football for three to four years,” says Brandon Ghee. “And then the next thing you know you’re 25, 26. You’re looking to pursue a career and you go from making $750,000 a year to $50,000. These guys and girls have a problem with the transition [in]how they’re spending during their careers.” Athletes make a lot of big financial decisions at fairly young ages. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by — Ghee, a community banker and former NFL...
info_outline
‘Building the organization around exceptional talent’
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
First Horizon Bank, a regional bank based in Memphis, Tennessee, offers some eye-catching numbers on the bank’s gender balance: Women make up 62 percent of its executive team, 54 percent of its top 1,200 corporate managers and 33 percent of its board of directors. To mark International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by — features three top executives from First Horizon discussing how the bank built an inclusive culture. For Beth Ardoin, chief communications officer, it’s less about focusing on...
info_outline
The commercial real estate state of play
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — presented by — ABA’s Dan Brown and Sharon Whitaker discuss community bank exposures to commercial real estate and how community banks are managing shifts in the CRE sector. They also dispel imprecise narratives about the state of CRE. “There is a lot of ,” says Brown. There are going to be some challenges for sure. But at the same time, too, though, there’s going to be a lot of resilience. A lot of these loans are very conservatively underwritten. I think a lot of banks would be in a very good position no...
info_outline
How the ‘apolitical’ Fed moves during presidential elections
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
If the past has any predictive power, rate-watchers may want to discount the chance of significant rate movements this election year. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, ABA VP Jeff Huther summarizes his analysis of Federal Open Market Committee actions during presidential elections, showing that in rare circumstances — well-telegraphed technical movements from a low base or during crisis moments like 2008 — the FOMC has generally refrained from taking action that could be perceived as political. Huther discusses what this means for the 2024 interest rate outlook.
info_outline
How flexible is your core? A new tool to help assess
ABA Banking Journal Podcast
“We’re really focused on increasing competition and innovation in the core provider landscape,” says ABA Chair Kristiane Koontz. “We want to make sure that people know core conversions are an option, and we want to help make that easier and less risky for banks to undertake. But in many cases, a core conversion may not be the right path.” On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, the host catches up with Koontz at the to discuss the committee’s on core resilience and competition, as well as the committee’s plans for 2024. The show...
info_outlineIn 1903, Maggie Lena Walker became the first Black woman to charter a U.S. bank when she opened the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in Richmond, Virginia, as the bank’s first president. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by NICE Actimize Xceed — historian Shennette Garrett-Scott tells the story of Walker and her mission to help Black women find financial empowerment and professional career opportunities.
Garrett-Scott, the author of Banking on Freedom: Black Women in U.S. Finance Before the New Deal, discusses:
- How Walker countered impressions that Black women were uniquely risky bank clients.
- The broader context of African-American banks and what set Walker’s St. Luke Bank apart.
- The relationships between Black banks and mutual aid societies and fraternal organizations like the Independent Order of St. Luke.
- How newly professionalized Progressive Era financial regulators threw up hurdles to Black-owned banks and insurers.
- The St. Luke Bank’s relationships with white-owned banks in Richmond and elsewhere.
This episode is sponsored by NICE Actimize Xceed.
Additional resources:
- Read a past Banking Journal feature on Walker as one of nine young bankers who changed America.
- Read a Wall Street Journal article on Walker’s legacy.
- View a virtual tour of Walker’s home in Richmond.