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Financial Institutions Archive
7/1/2008
Governance Practices – Setting the Tone
Strategies for strengthening your corporate governance.
6/1/2008
Information Technology and Your Trust Department
Does your IT program include the trust department?
5/1/2008
Economic Stimulus Act of 2008: Business Incentives
The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 could mean additional tax savings for your financial institution as well as for your commercial customers.
4/1/2008
The Top 10 Must-Haves for Better IT Governance
Achieve greater success through a consistent commitment to IT management.
4/1/2008
Are Your Fiduciary Activities Adequately Monitored?
Trust activities should be monitored by the trust committee and approved by the board of directors.
3/1/2008
Is Your Trust Department Fulfilling its Fiduciary Responsibilities?
Required fiduciary audits can also reveal control weaknesses, compliance risks, and inefficiencies in your trust department.
2/1/2008
Here's a Tip: Hotline Tips Dramatically Curb Fraud Losses
Having a fraud prevention program in place is essential for any financial institution. Having a confidential way to report fraud is just as important.
1/25/2008
AML Vigilance Requires a Sound Program
Is your anti-money laundering program as effective as it should be?
1/1/2008
Managing Market Risk with EVE
Understanding EVE is an important part of managing your interest rate risk.
12/1/2007
Aligning Performance Management and Compensation Systems
Aligning performance and pay can improve employee performance as well as your bottom line.
12/1/2007
The Other S Corporation Benefit
The benefits of becoming an S corporation are beyond the obvious. It can be a win-win for both the buyers and sellers.
11/1/2007
Eight Reasons to Revisit Your Compliance Program
These eight events should prompt you to revisit your institution’s program, review risk assessment, and confirm seamless compliance.
10/1/2007
New Risk-Based Audit Standards: How New Rules Will Affect You
The new standards give financial institutions an audit process that can more readily adapt to changing circumstances.
9/1/2007
Commercial Real Estate Loans Require Well-Defined Processes
Strong risk management processes and procedures are essential for every well-managed commercial real estate program.
8/1/2007
Deposit Accounts: Addressing Market and Pricing Issues
Fourteen effective measures an institution should consider to address pricing and retention issues on loans and deposits.
7/1/2007
Use POWER to Reduce Noninterest Expense
Although noninterest expense is easily defined, the process of reducing operating expenses can be difficult and time-consuming. Here are some tips.
6/1/2007
Profitability: Product Costs, Product Pricing
Do you know the cost associated with servicing product lines? Are your rates competitive?
4/1/2007
CRM Implementation: 7 Elements That Drive Success
Here are seven crucial elements that can drive a successful CRM implementation.
3/1/2007
CRM: Finding the Right Growth Mix
Here are five strategies for using customer relationship management to achieve growth.
2/1/2007
CRM: Leading With Strategy
Is your CRM program aligned with your institution's business objectives?
1/1/2007
Vendor Management: Success Starts Upfront
Outsourcing IT roles doesn't mean that you outsource accountability as well. What’s missing from your vendor management efforts?
12/1/2006
Are You At Risk? Assessing and Managing Information Security
Are you effectively assessing and managing your information security risk?
11/1/2006
Information Technology: What’s the Plan?
Are you integrating IT management into your strategic plan?
10/17/2006
For Sale By Owner: Should You Sell Your Bank Yourself?
Do you know the true value of your business? Who will run your business while you are busy selling? These are just a couple of questions you need to consider when selling your bank.
10/1/2006
You’ve Tested Your Compliance Program... Now What?
Equally important to analyzing you risk and conducting tests is verifying that the new implementation or procedure changes are actually effective.
9/1/2006
Your Compliance Program: Assess, Then Test
Favorable exam reports begin with institutions finding problems themselves through testing and correcting them before exam time.
8/1/2006
Compliance: Moving From Reactive to Proactive
Does your compliance program meet regulators' expectations?
7/1/2006
Successfully Acquired: Five Lessons That Matter
Here are five insights that can aid in the successful sale of a financial institution.
6/1/2006
Internal Audit: Benefits Beyond The Obvious
An internal audit can be much more than just a safety net for your organization.
5/1/2006
Internal Controls From Every Point of View
Internal controls should ultimately make most people's jobs easier. How are they perceived in your institution?
4/1/2006
Taking Control: A Balanced Approach
Are your internal controls keeping assets safe and information secure?
3/9/2006
Lenders Beware: The Winds of Change Are Blowing for Financial Reporting
The FIN 46 rules change the way entities become subject to consolidation.
3/1/2006
Procedures and People: A Hand-in-Hand Approach to Enhance the Internal Audit Function
Does your institution have procedures in place to ensure that key policies are followed?
2/1/2006
Effective Loan Operations: From Paperwork to Productivity
Are you making use of technology to enhance your loan operations?
1/1/2006
Effective Operations: Ensuring Bookkeeping Efficiencies
Applying and making full use of your in-house systems is a smart start to realizing operational efficiencies.
12/1/2005
Effective Operations: The Role of Teller Service
Nothing can elevate a financial institution’s reputation and promote its brand like competent, friendly teller operations.
11/1/2005
Leveraging Technology to Enhance Operations
High-tech services are no longer an option; they’re a competitive requirement. Here's an overview of the key factors and trends.
10/1/2005
Outsourcing Internal Audits: A Reliable Alternative
Here are five good reasons to outsource your internal audit function.
9/1/2005
Trust Preferred Securities: A Capital-Raising Tool for Community Banks
The structure of TPS has changed over the years to make this option more affordable for banks of all sizes.
8/1/2005
Independent Audit Is Key to BSA Compliance
Is your program for complying with the Bank Secrecy Act well-defined and well-implemented?
7/1/2005
Preventing Insider Fraud
Here are the warning signs to look for - and eight steps to help prevent employee fraud in the future.
6/1/2005
Crossing the FDICIA Floor
Preparing for compliance may take a year. Will your financial institution be ready for the $500 million threshold?
5/1/2005
Safeguarding Customer Information with a Practical Information Security Program
Every financial institution must have a program to protect information systems and data. Does yours fulfill GLBA requirements?
4/1/2005
Safeguarding Customer Information through Proper Risk Assessment
Are you doing everything you can to protect customer data? Seven key questions can provide the answers you need.
3/1/2005
Measuring Product Profitability: What to do With the Info
Product profitability is a function of revenue and expense. The goal is to identify the return on assets (ROA) and the return on equity (ROE) for each product.
3/1/2005
Measuring Customer Profitability: What to do With the Info
Measuring and understanding customer profitability can help assure that products are marketed and directed to the customers and prospects most likely to be profitable.
3/1/2005
Safeguarding Customer Information Through an Information Technology Examination and Vulnerability Testing
How well are such standards performing?
2/1/2005
Deposit Accounts: Marketing & Financial Issues Every Bank CEO Needs to Think About
Understanding your customers' banking and savings activities, behaviors, and patterns is one of the key strategies in developing a plan to increase deposit growth.
2/1/2005
Safeguarding Customer Information through a Compliant Information Security Program
Securing customer information establishes and sustains customer trust and allows for the optimization of overall operations.
1/1/2005
Profit Opportunity Within Every Resource
In order to improve your bank’s profitability, you must increase revenue, decrease expense, or do both.
1/1/2005
How Can You Reduce Noninterest Expense? Start Looking.
Would you like to reduce your noninterest expense? Then you need to start looking at what drives expense and identifying the costs originating from product features and costs driven by factors other than volume.
1/1/2005