This episode examines an article from Independent Banker Magazine titled “Drive efficiency with these 9 back-office upgrades.” The 9 recommendations for increasing efficiency include automate loan exceptions, use RPA to reduce repetitive tasks, establish common sense practices, reduce the use of spreadsheets, get maximum value out of existing solutions, have AI help with the compliance, enable e-signatures, prepare for AI drive opportunities, and tap into employee insights. A link to the article is included below.

Link: Drive Efficiency With These 9 Back Office Upgrades

This episode examines a report from the National Association of Realtors and Realtor.com titled “Affordability and Homebuilding: State-by-State Report Cards.” This report breaks down, state-by-state, affordability and supply. Some of the key findings focus on income-based affordability gaps, deficit of affordable homes, impact on first-time buyers, state-level disparities, and impact of mortgage rates. A link to the affordability and homebuilding report is included below.

Link: Affordability and Homebuilding: State-by-State Report Cards - Realtor.com Economic Research

This episode examines an article from The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) titled “Why there will never be another Warren Buffett.” The author provides three reasons why there will never be another Warren Buffett: the person, the period, and the package. Warren was a unique individual who was obsessed with studying companies. He was trained by Benjamin Graham, himself a financial legend. Buffett began investing in a period before trillions of dollars had poured into the stock market. Buffett used Berkshire Hathaway as his investment vehicle, which is a publicly traded holding company.

This episode is an interview with Dr. William “Bill” Minnis, who is a former bank CEO of Citizens National Bank of Paris. This bank was located in Paris, Illinois. We discuss being a bank CEO during a difficult time. What he did and did not like about the job. Things he would do differently, and what advice he would have for someone becoming a bank CEO today. Outside of banking, Dr. Minnis has been involved in various organizations. He spends time consulting, tending cattle at his house in Scotland, and he is a Professor Emeritus at Eastern Illinois University. Dr. Minnis has an MBA from Indiana State University and a PhD from Saint Louis University.

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.

This episode examines a recent report from the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (TBAC) to the Secretary of the Treasury. This report covers a number of important topics that include projected funding needs, trade policy, longer-term yields in Treasuries, Treasury’s buyback program, conversation on the debt limit, and terms of issuance. This report was released on April 29, 2025. A link to the report is included below.

Link: Report to the Secretary of the Treasury from the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee | U.S. Department of the Treasury

This is part 20 of the crypto series. In this episode we review a presentation that was made by the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (TBAC) titled “Digital Money.” The Treasury believes that U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins are on track to reach an aggregate market capitalization of approximately $2 trillion by 2028. Links to the Treasury presentation, press release, and Zero Hedge article are included below.

Link: Report to the Secretary of the Treasury from the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee | U.S. Department of the Treasury

Link: TBACCharge2Q22025.pdf

Link: Stablecoins On Track For $2 Trillion Market Cap By 2028: US Treasury | ZeroHedge

This episode examines an article from Independent Banker Magazine titled “5 Ways community banks can take advantage of FedNow.” The authors propose 5 steps that community banks can use to adopt FedNow. 1) Lean on third-party providers, 2) Start with a receive functionality, 3) Develop implementation plans, 4) Identify use cases that offer value, and 5) Talk to peers. FedNow continued its growth in the 1Q 2025 with more than 1,300 participating financial institutions. A link to the article is included below.

Link: 5 Ways Community Banks Can Take Advantage of FedNow