GroundBanking GroundBanking

GroundBanking Podcast

Welcome to GroundBanking, stories about innovation in the financial industry. 

Each episode will feature experts in banking and FinTech who will discuss the challenges and opportunities in today’s marketplace – whether it’s embracing new technology, coming up with new lines of business for finding more efficient ways to serve their customers and communities.


Podcast: Finding your financial institution’s niche

February 7, 2023

By Terry Ammons

Listen to this podcast episode to learn how you can create an experience that aligns your financial institution more closely with your customers’ identities.

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Podcast: Positioning your credit union to better compete

January 11, 2023

By Terry Ammons

In this episode, we discuss creative solutions for credit union industry challenges. Discover how to use technology to create a better member experience.

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Podcast: Empowering your aging adult customers

November 15, 2022

By Terry Ammons

It’s likely that there is more your financial institution can do to help your senior customers manage their everyday expenses. Learn more in this podcast.

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Podcast: How data can strengthen your financial institution

September 13, 2022

By Terry Ammons

Community banks and credit unions often lack important data they need to support their decisionmaking. The right information can help you grow your business.

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Podcast: How to create an impactful digital experience

June 28, 2022

By Terry Ammons

Financial institutions can no longer depend solely on branches to deliver their brand experience. These days, it’s all about the digital experience.

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Podcast: How financial institutions can approach offering cryptocurrency services

June 8, 2022

By Terry Ammons

Is your financial institution considering how you can begin offering digital asset and cryptocurrency services? Find out what you need to know first.

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Podcast: Next-generation technology strategy for community banks

April 14, 2022

By Terry Ammons

Community banks need to leverage cloud technology to innovate faster, differentiate strategically and compete successfully. Here’s why and how.

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Podcast: How banks are reducing processing costs by 50%

March 7, 2022

By Terry Ammons

Your community bank can leverage personalized automation to increase efficiencies in your consumer and mortgage lending practices.

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Podcast: The value of compliance-centric IT services

February 2, 2022

By Terry Ammons

How have financial institutions’ approach to technology changed over the course of the last decade?

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This community bank’s road to digital transformation

December 7, 2021

By Terry Ammons

Queensborough National Bank and Trust Co.’s digital transformation strategy: How preparing for digital transformation early paid off when the pandemic hit.

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Podcast: Making better banking decisions with better data

October 22, 2021

By Terry Ammons

How financial institutions can leverage better data to identify opportunities, develop strategy and enhance performance.

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Podcast: How Oconee State Bank modernized its back-office compliance processes

September 7, 2021

By Terry Ammons

Back office automation software FINBOA helped Oconee State Bank reduce the amount of time it took to file consumer disputes by over 80%. Listen to learn more.

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Podcast: How HT Mobile Apps is helping financial literacy

July 19, 2021

By Terry Ammons

HT Mobile Apps is helping improve financial literacy through its platform, says their CEO in our GroundBanking podcast.

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Podcast: How and why Central Payments developed its fintech accelerator program

June 6, 2021

By Terry Ammons

Interested in ideas it wants to learn more about or see go to market, Central Payments set out to develop a fintech accelerator. And it succeeded. Falls Fintech is up and running as a 12-week program designed to accelerate market readiness for early-stage fintech startups.

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Podcast: How digital statements impact the customer experience

May 3, 2021

By Terry Ammons

Did you know 95% of all bank statements are opened and read through?

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Podcast: Transforming bill pay solutions in your financial institution

March 20, 2021

By Terry Ammons

COVID-19 shined a spotlight on the gaps in the digital banking experience, particularly when it comes to bill pay solutions. Many financial institutions have realized they need to up their game.

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Podcast: How to integrate the best core banking software for your financial institution

March 2, 2021

By Terry Ammons

Financial institutions are looking for ways to accelerate innovation across the enterprise, but they sometimes feel limited by their existing technology infrastructure. Through an open API-driven approach, many institutions are finding ways to effectively build on their existing core solution and extend the value of those technology investments while modernizing the banking experience for their customers.

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Podcast: Personalizing the customer experience with technology

February 3, 2021

By Terry Ammons

Do you know the value technology and open platforms could add to your financial institution?

Boston Consulting Group calculated that for every $100 billion in assets a bank has, revenue can be increased by as much as $300 million by personalizing customer interactions.

A full 88% of customers want to receive recommendations from their bank about the things relevant to their needs and behaviors. What are you doing to meet this need?

In this episode of GroundBanking, Terry Ammons, Wipfli partner, and special guest Jill Homan, President of DeepTarget, discuss:

  • The importance of creativity and innovation in driving business and growing your institution
  • How to cater and deliver to the specific needs of customers using technology

Listen in to also discover our special beer of the episode!

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Podcast: How the political climate is impacting financial institutions and small businesses

January 19, 2021

By Terry Ammons

How has the recent political climate affected financial institutions in the U.S.? What impact might potential upcoming changes have?

Terry Ammons, Wipfli partner, discusses these topics and more with special guest Charles Potts, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).

Listen in as Ammons and Potts also dive into:

  • Financial inclusion, literacy and education as trends within financial institutions
  • Non-interest income, and how it’s one of the biggest problems financial institutions have coming out of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
  • The Consolidated Appropriations Act’s impact on small businesses

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Podcast: Growing small businesses with bank-centric technology

December 1, 2020

By Terry Ammons

Small business owners and banks face unique problems: Small business owners are passionate about their business but often are not financial experts. On the other side, banks haven’t always done a great job of serving small businesses.

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Podcast: How Finosec CEO combines innovation and significance

October 5, 2020

By Terry Ammons

What does it take to win a fintech innovation challenge?  Zach Duke, CEO and founder of Finosec shares how his company’s cybersecurity governance solution helped Finosec place in the top 3 in the innovation challenge, making it to the final competition at Fintech South.

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Liat Shetret of Elliptic discusses growing role of banks and compliance in cryptocurrency transactions

August 27, 2020

By Terry Ammons

Liat Shetret, senior advisor of crypto policy and regulation at Elliptic dives into the growing role of cryptocurrency in mainstream banking. “What you’re actually seeing is a trend, in fact, of former bankers who are moving into crypto and crypto people who are moving into regulatory positions. There’s a lot of inter-industry swapping going on,” Liat tells Wipfli host Terry Ammons. In this podcast she dives into the value of understanding compliance frameworks from different countries, how customers benefit from Elliptic tools as well as the new guidance published by the OCC.

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Barclay Keith of Artis discusses building a real-time, technology-driven lending solution

July 21, 2020

By Terry Ammons

In our latest episode, we talk with Barclay Keith, CEO & Co-founder of Artis — a tech startup that developed a platform focusing on building a real-time, point-of-need digital lending solution for banks and their existing relationships. Artis provides their solution all while remaining “faceless” as the bank uses the platform to benefit their customers’ loan needs in a seamless manner.

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Jonathan Smith of Xamin discusses going remote

June 15, 2020

By Terry Ammons

Our latest episode features a discussion between Wipfli partner Terry Ammons and Xamin CEO & president, Jonathan Smith. Jonathan highlights his experience moving Xamin to a fully remote status as well as shares the lessons he learned along his journey.

Our featured craft beer this episode is Galactic Space Circus by Creature Comforts based in Ahens, GA.

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Eric Schurr of Sunrise Banks discusses financial wellness and technology

May 19, 2020

In our latest episode, we talk with Eric Schurr, Chief Strategy Officer of National Products for Sunrise Banks, who is working towards increasing financial inclusion and empowering financial wellness through their partnerships with Fintech organizations.

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Kim Snyder of KlariVis discusses streamlining data management

April 30, 2020

In this episode, we talk with Kim Snyder, CEO and Founder of KlariVis, who is working to solve the data conundrum in the financial institutions industry. Instead of dealing with agonizing report-writing and fragmented information, financial institutions of all sizes can use KlariVis to leverage their data efficiently. The KlariVis data analytics solution automates the integration of your financial institution’s data from its various sources, then analyzes and aggregates it to allow you to quickly visualize your previously siloed and disparate data in one place with unparalleled ease.

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Trevor Lain and Reese Porter discuss controlling risk through third-party oversight

March 30, 2020

In this episode, we talk with Trevor Lain (CEO and Founder) and Reese Porter (Director of Strategic Partnerships) of Lexalign who are working to help financial institutions control risk by empowering third-party oversight. LexAlign’s SaaS solution provides transparency on customer, vendor, and partner practices—while empowering those parties to self-assess and master the specific rules, risks, and responsibilities that apply to their activities.

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Christina Camacho discusses alternative lending for small businesses

February 24, 2020

In this episode, we talk with Christina Camacho, CEO of Ivy Lender who is transforming the way small businesses apply for loans. Ivy Lender offers a front-end technology connecting lending institutions to the largely untapped small business market. Using an AI-driven borrower adjudication process and broker on boarding tool, institutions are ultimately able to convert more SMB applications while saving time and increasing their fee revenue.

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Tommy Marshall discusses the Georgia FinTech Academy

December 17, 2019

In this episode, we talk with Tommy Marshall, Executive Director of The Georgia FinTech Academy. The Georgia FinTech Academy is bringing together the fintech industry and the University System of Georgia, to offer education and training on a wide range of fintech topics and career pathways. The Academy’s structure allows employers to partner with multiple USG institutions, whether in close proximity or elsewhere across the state of Georgia.

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Derik Sutton discusses automated solutions for the small business market

November 20, 2019

In this episode, we talk with Derik Sutton, VP of Product at Autobooks, who is partnering with financial institutions across the country to better serve the massive, and growing, micro and small business market. Most small businesses continue to use manual, or less automated solutions, and those that don’t are turning to non-bank providers to satisfy their requirements. Autobooks better enables financial institutions to provide the products and services a small business needs today to manage and grow their business.

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Rick Gonzalez discusses a digital solution for the 1099 worker

October 24, 2019

In this episode, we talk with Rick Gonzalez, Founder and CEO of RoamHR who has created a unique digital solution for the 1099 worker. RoamHR is partnering with financial institutions across the country to help freelancers, self-employed and gig-economy workers not only save for their federal and state income tax, but also better manage their overall financial picture.

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Adwait Joshi discusses taming the data demon

August 6, 2019

In this episode, we talk with Adwait Joshi, CEO and Founder of DataSeers. Adwait discusses how DataSeers has helped financial institutions take the pain out of the data segmentation process by efficiently handling multiple data sources with ease, correlating the data and providing actionable intelligence.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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JB Garrett discusses specialty lending

July 8, 2019

In this episode, we talk with JB Garrett, Chief Financial Officer of GrandSouth Bank. JB discusses their specialty lending program, CarBucks which provides floor plan financing to independent auto dealers for the purchase and holding of their inventory. JB highlights the opportunities and challenges that have accompanied this type of lending solution as well as how they’ve diversified risk through creating loans outside of their traditional market area.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Pavleen Thukral discusses an online marketplace for loan trading

May 21, 2019

In this episode, we talk with Pavleen Thukral, CEO and Founder of Stackfolio. Pav discusses how Stackfolio has used machine learning to create an online marketplace for loan trading that is already changing how hundreds of institutions across the country transact in the whole loan and participation markets.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Lisa Nicholas discusses digital transformation

April 24, 2019

In this episode, we talk with Lisa Nicholas, President of Digital Banking Services at Credit Union of Texas (CUTX). Lisa discusses the age of the digital transformation and how financial institutions can utilize technology to gain a better understanding their current customer needs, increase engagement and position themselves for future success.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Terry Ammons discusses highlights from recent FinTech events

March 28, 2019

In this special edition of GroundBanking, host Terry Ammons discusses the recent fintech events he has attended over the past several weeks, including AFT’s Spring Summit in Tucson, AZ and the ICBA’S ThinkTech Accelerator hosted by the Venture Center of Little Rock. He touches on the top 5 things he learned at AFT as well as some of the most important things fintech startups should be focusing on right now.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Alex Valdes discusses facial biometric solutions for financial institutions

February 19, 2019

In this episode, we talk with Alex Valdes, Chief Financial Officer at TrustStamp. Alex discusses how their AI-powered facial biometric identity authentication solution, TrustStamp, has empowered financial institutions to onboard customers faster, keep accounts secure, and prevent fraudsters from accessing services.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Kevin Tweddle discusses the ICBA’s ThinkTech Accelerator Program

January 9, 2019

In this episode, we talk with Kevin Tweddle, Chief Operating Officer of the ICBA Services Network and Chief Innovation Officer of the ICBA about the Association’s new ThinkTech Accelerator that will launch in early January. Kevin discusses the program and its overall goal to serve as an outlet for community banks to directly engage and partner with early-stage fintech companies.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Chris Stanley discusses FinTech and banking partnerships

December 11, 2018

In this episode, we talk with Chis Stanley, VP of FinTech Industry Banking at Atlantic Capital Bank. Chris discusses how Atlantic Capital Bank is approaching their FinTech strategy and what banks are looking for as it relates to these partnerships.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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David Eads discusses how digital sales and marketing drive growth

November 14, 2018

In this episode, we talk with David Eads, CEO of Gro Solutions, Inc. David discusses how utilizing digital sales and marketing platforms can help drive growth for financial institutions across all channels of their business through optimizing both the user experience for digital sales tasks, such as account opening and loan underwriting.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Fran Duggan Discusses AI & smarter payments

October 9, 2018

In Episode 6, we talk with Fran Duggan, CEO of Payrailz. Fran discusses improving the customer experience through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and leveraging technology and data to make easier and smarter payments.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Julius Weyman and the Retail Payments Risk Forum

September 11, 2018

In Episode 5, we talk with Julius Weyman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Julius discusses the genesis of the Retail Payments Risk Forum, meaningful data and trends he has seen over the course of his career and how financial institutions are managing risk and preventing fraud in retail payments.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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NBKC Bank FinTech accelerator program

August 14, 2018

In Episode 4, we talk with Zach Pettet and Melissa Eggleston at NBKC Bank in Kansas City. They discuss the unique approach their bank is taking to develop a FinTech accelerator program, as well as their mission to embrace the thriving FinTech community in their city.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Fraud prevention and machine learning

July 10, 2018

In Episode 3, we talk with Dave Excell, CTO & Founder of Featurespace.  Dave dives into the concept of machine learning and how Featurespace is using this technique to help financial institutions manage their fraud detection and prevention efforts.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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Faster Payments

June 5, 2018

In Episode 1, we talk with Terri Sands who is the director of Payments Risk Management at State Bank & Trust. Terri discusses how State Bank has seen success embracing faster payments and the landscape of where the industry is heading.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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TAG FinTech Ecosystem Report

June 2, 2018

In Episode 2, we talk with Glen Sarvady and Don Campbell who, in conjunction with Chip Harden, developed the 2018 TAG FinTech Ecosystem Report for the state of Georgia. In this episode, Glen and Don discuss some of the highlights of the report to include the state of the industry, how it has grown and evolved over the years and the key role Georgia plays to the larger FinTech ecosystem.

This episode of GroundBanking was previously recorded prior to Porter Keadle Moore joining Wipfli effective October 1, 2019.

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