Jim and Jeff Talk about Bravery and other Key Drivers of M&A in the newest episode of Artisan Unfiltered. When it comes to M&A in a noisy environment, Jim Adkins observed, "It's hard to balance the short-term against your long-term strategy and you might have to be brave sometimes to do that." Listen now.

The first Artisan Unfiltered episode of the year is now available. "2025 Outlook: Jim and Jeff Talk Economics, Interest Rates and Regulatory Events" takes a deep dive into the outlook for each so far this year and offers a few recommendations for what bankers can do now to prepare for what the rest of the year may bring.

Jeff Voss weighed in on possible rate cuts: "I think rate cuts are going to be data dependent. I think the one thing about the Fed is, relatively speaking, it's as independent as you can come and they're focused on analyzing the data, interpreting the data and making decisions."

Jim Adkins offered a few words of advice: "I do think that, in terms of enterprise risk management, you could - in your procedure and policies and how you model things out - you might want to model some changes into your risk management process."

Reach out to Jim or Jeff if you have questions or want to discuss any issues or challenges your financial institution is facing.

Listen in as Jim Adkins discusses the evolving role of the IT leader in a financial institution, with Wade Barnes, Managing Director, Financial and Professional Services at Hartman Executive Advisors. One key takeaway - if your IT leader doesn't have a seat at the strategic planning table, it's time to pull up a chair for them. Listen to the podcast for more useful insights on how to ensure your IT efforts are actively contributing to your business goals.