The Banker Next Door

Episode 316: Chaos in Kansas! A conversation with Allan Burkley

This episode examines a recent article from Bank Director titled “Victim or Perpetrator?” This story is about the failure of Heartland Tri-State Bank and the fraud that was committed by their CEO Shan Hanes. This story is fascinating from many angles including internal controls, separation of power, checks and balances, who should serve on the board, the effect of a dominant CEO, internal fraud at banks, and how a bank’s failure can affect all stakeholders. Allan Burkley joins me to discuss. A link to the article is included below.
Link: Magazine Exclusive: Victim or Perpetrator? | Bank Director

Episode 315: Is starting a small business worth it?

This episode examines a recent article on CNBC.com titled “41-year old’s business brought in $1 million in its first year – then he quit to take a 9-to-5 job instead.” This article does a great job of showing the typical plight of entrepreneurs. It begs the question, is starting a small business all that it is hyped to be? A link to the article is included below.  
Link: Carlos Gil: Why I quit entrepreneurship for a 9-to-5 job

Episode 314: Individuals charges in largest U.S. COVID tax fraud scheme

This episode examines a recent article from The Epoch Times (subscription required) titled “7 charged in America’s biggest COVID tax credit fraud scheme.” 7 individuals have been charged with allegedly stealing hundreds of millions of dollars in a very sophisticated tax fraud scheme. The defendants sought to abuse the ERC tax credit using VPN’s and shell companies. This is considered the largest potential COVID tax credit fraud scheme in the U.S.  

Episode 313: Talking TikTok and AI with Alex Blom Creates

This episode is an interview with Alex Blomstrom owner of Alex Blom Creates. We discussed the ban on TikTok and how that is affecting content creators and small business owners that utilize the platform. We discussed ways that entrepreneurs use TikTok to make money. We also discussed AI in terms of different platforms and how Alex uses it in her business. A link to Alex’s website is included below. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok @alexblom.creates.
Link: www.alexblomcreates.com

Episode 312: Are regulators concerned about CECL?

This episode examines a recent article in Bank Director titled “Regulators scrutinize CECL processes at community banks.” Regulators have concerns around credit quality particularly with commercial real estate. In upcoming exams, they may choose to take a closer look at your bank’s CECL processes. Has your bank been making refinements since CECL was first implemented? A link to the article is included below.   
Link: Regulators Scrutinize CECL Processes at Community Banks | Bank Director

BND: Strategy Room 2-1-2025

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.

Episode 311: What happens when your customers can't sign documents?

This episode examines a recent blog post from PCBB titled “Signature solutions for a post-cursive generation.” The disappearance of cursive writing in most states means Generation Z consumers can’t read or write in script. What does this mean for banks in terms of signing loan and deposit account documents, signature cards, checks, etc.? What constitutes a legal signature? A link to the blog post is included below.
Link: Signature Solutions for a Post-Cursive Generation

Episode 310: GAO report on Treasury's actions around 2023 bank failures

This episode examines a recently released report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled “Federal Deposit Insurance Act: Federal Agency Efforts to Identify and Mitigate Systemic Risk from the March 2023 Bank Failures.” GAO examined the actions taken by the Treasury Secretary and other federal regulators during the banking crisis of early 2023 to determine if their actions were appropriate in mitigating the overall risk of the event. Did they act prudently and within their authority? A link to the full report and a summary are included below.  
Link: GAO-25-107023, FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE ACT: Federal Agency Efforts to Identify and Mitigate Systemic Risk from the March 2023 Bank Failures
Link: GAO-25-107023 Highlights, FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE ACT: Federal Agency Efforts to Identify and Mitigate Systemic Risk from the March 2023 Bank Failures

Episode 309: ICBA's Advocacy in Action Q1 2025

This episode examines ICBA’s Advocacy in Action for the first quarter of 2025. ICBA puts out a quarterly synopsis of key regulatory issues facing the banking industry. Some of the key topics include overdraft, brokered deposits, trigger leads, farm bill, check fraud, 1071, cryptocurrency, and open banking. A link to the PDF document is provided below.
Link: top-issues-2024.pdf

Episode 308: Cornerstone Advisors: "What's going on in banking 2025"

This episode examines Cornerstone Advisors’ report “What’s going on in Banking 2025: Happy(er) Days are Here again.” This report seeks to help financial institutions and fintech companies better understand what is going on in the industry, how to plan for changes, and how to deal with challenges. Some of the topics covered include Open Banking, Deposits, AI, and Real-Time Payments. A link to the report is included below.
Link:  What's Going On In Banking 2025 | Cornerstone Advisors