The Essential Guide to Email Authentication for Community Banks
By Heather Diaz As a community bank, your reputation is your most valuable asset. In the digital age, this reputation is intrinsically tied to your domain reputation and the security of your communications. Email authentication using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, is no longer optional—it’s a critical layer of defense against phishing, spoofing, and other email-based…
Why Generic BI Tools Fall Short for Financial Institutions
By: Ashley Fiore Twenty-five years into the 21st century, most financial institutions recognize the value of business intelligence (BI). The ability to turn complex data into actionable insights promises smarter decisions, stronger performance, and sustainable growth. Many already invest in BI tools, often those included within broader platforms like Microsoft 365 or Google Cloud, hoping…
Six Strategies to Transform Account Holders into Advocates
By Cindy Draper With mobile banking on the rise, account holders are more transactional—and less loyal—than ever. The Financial Brand recently reported that 76% of consumers considered themselves likely to switch primary financial institutions. Meanwhile, the average account holder has multiple financial relationships, including traditional financial institutions and fintechs. Choice is everywhere, and consumers aren’t…
Questions that Banks Should Ask About AI
By David Eads As new artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and products enter the market, financial institutions should do their due diligence before investing. AI brings a world of possibilities for enhancing efficiency when done right. But adopting AI isn’t just about automating a process or adding a new tool. It’s about trust, transparency and long-term…
Why Banking & Fintech Companies Should Be Located Near Research & Innovation Resources
By Jessica Del Vecchio Why Banking & Fintech Companies Should Be Located Near Research & Innovation Resources In the race to advance financial services and digital banking, location is more than a pin on a map — it’s a position within an ecosystem. For decades, executives making expansion or relocation decisions considered factors like tax…
Your Digital Roadmap Is Worthless Without Execution
How to Build a Digital Roadmap That Actually Gets Executed By Ryan Taphouse Nearly every financial institution has a digital strategy, but only a handful actually see it through to completion. The reality? Banks often spend months (sometimes years) building impressive roadmaps only to watch priorities shift, technology stall in procurement, and execution grind to…
Your Board’s Cybersecurity Oversight Probably Isn’t Good Enough
By Steve Sanders Most bank boards struggle with cybersecurity oversight because they don’t know what questions to ask, how to interpret the answers or whether their security measures are actually working. Directors may approve cybersecurity budgets without understanding if those investments actually reduce risk, or they may review incident reports without grasping whether response times…
Turning Missed Moments into Meaningful Connections:
How AI Drives Deposit Growth by Amplifying the Human Touch in Community Banking By Tracy Graham Community banks have long had a competitive edge: deep, trusted relationships with their customers. But in today’s environment—where digital expectations meet lean staffing and fragmented systems—even these relationship-driven institutions face new challenges. Large banks are investing billions in artificial…
How AI is Modernizing Payment Card Personalization in a Regulated World
By Mehdi Heidari As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the financial services industry, its creative and analytical capabilities are unlocking entirely new possibilities in payment card personalization and issuance. Once purely functional tools for securing transactions, payment cards are now evolving into powerful lifestyle statements—expressions of identity that customers carry with them every day. This shift…
7 Goals to Revisit Before the Final Stretch of 2025
With just a few months left in 2025, it is a good time to reflect on your financial institution’s goals. Are you where you expected to be? Let’s take a closer look at seven goals many community banks and credit unions are working toward. For each, consider these timely questions as you assess your progress….