The Banker Next Door

Does how we dress have an overall effect on society?

The way we dress conveys a message about how we see ourselves and others. Seeing people ‘dressed up’ is becoming increasingly rare. At the same time, the clothes we wear speak volumes about us.  In business, clothes are essential to how you appear to others. How you carry yourself, how other people view you, how seriously you are taken. In society, clothes give us many clues into the mental health of the country. This episode examines an article from The Epoch Times (subscription required) titled “Are we dressing to the lowest common denominator?”   

Do we have a problem with SNAP and American welfare?

Due to the recent government shutdown, SNAP benefits and the American welfare state came into focus. Massive fraud in the SNAP program was unveiled. A deeper analysis shows a massive growth in the welfare state since the 1960s. It was recently announced that all SNAP recipients will have to reapply in an effort to crack down on fraud. What does the current state of the SNAP program and welfare in America really tell us about our economy, our politics, and where the U.S. is heading?  This episode covered several articles from The Epoch Times (subscription required) and Fox Business. The articles in The Epoch Times are titled “SNAP and the growth of the American welfare state” and “5,000 dead people getting SNAP, 500,000 receiving benefits twice: Rollins.” The article in Fox Business is titled “All SNAP recipients required to reapply as Trump admin cracks down on fraud: ‘business as usual is over’.”

BND: Strategy Room Bonus - Update on Tariffs

Latest update on U.S. tariffs and trade news. 

BND: Strategy Room 11-22-2025

The Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.

BND: Strategy Room Bonus - Epstein problem persists for banks

Jeffrey Epstein continues to be a problem for several banks. 

Interview with David Danielson, Managing Director of The Kafafian Group

David Danielson is an investment banker and Managing Director at The Kafafian Group. During the interview we discuss factors that will boost bank M&A in 2026, what drives M&A pricing, why larger banks trade at a higher multiple, why interest ‘yield marks’ discourage deals, how big was the equity hit to AFS in 2022, and will we see another wave of bank M&A. David has more than 25 years of experience advising financial institutions on strategic growth, financial performance, and enhancing shareholder value. A link to The Kafafian Group website is included below.
Link:  https://kafafiangroup.com/

How can you boost the profitability of your best customers?

Most banks across the U.S. are facing some level of margin compression. As a result, it is becoming increasingly more important to understand who your most profitable customers are and how you can boost their profitability. This episode reviews an article from Bank Director titled “Figuring out who is profitable and who is not: A banker’s guide” and a report from White Clay titled “Customer Profitability Insights.” A link to the article is included below. You can download a copy of the White Clay report through a link in the article.  
Link: Figuring Out Who Is Profitable and Who Is Not: A Banker’s Guide | Bank Director

Outlook 2026

This episode provides an outlook for 2026 by covering the following topics: sustainability, M&A, supply chain, equities, debt markets, AI, commodities, and private credit markets. This is a sneak peek at what some of the major challenges, issues, and opportunities will be for 2026. This episode reviews a series of article from S&P Global (subscription required) titled “Big Picture 2026”, which focuses on various topics.

Blackrock writes off $150M Renovo loan as Private Credit woes continue

Another one of those ‘one-off’ events occurred as Blackrock wrote off its entire $150M investment in Renovo Home Partners. Another blowup in the private credit market. In addition, we check in on the ongoing lawsuits and fallout from the First Brands collapse. BDO’s role as the auditor of First Brands. Major U.S. insurers continue to gobble up private credit deals. Wall street’s reaction. Blackstone offloads a $1.8 billion investment and takes a $600 million dollar loss. This episode examines a series of articles from AInvest, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC.  

The CRE maturity wall continues to shift with 2026 coming into focus

The CRE maturity wall was created by the increase in interest rates from the Federal Reserve starting in 2022. The increase in rates caused banks to ‘extend and pretend’ hoping that the Fed would eventually bring down rates making it easier to renew and roll over existing CRE loans. This action pushed CRE maturities out to 2025 through 2027. The CRE maturity wall continues to shift with 2026 now becoming a big year. This episode reviews two articles from S&P Global (subscription required) titled “Modified loan reporting change to cloud investors’ view of bank credit quality” and “Extensions shift the CRE maturity wall, but 2026 could now be a tougher year.”