Inaugural Smith Analytics Conference

Join me and my colleagues from the University of Maryland’s Smith Business School on April 21, 2017 for the Inaugural Smith Analytics Conference. In the afternoon I will be discussing the impact of Digital Labor Analytics on the financial services Risk and Regulatory space. Looking forward to seeing you there. 

Top Risk and Compliance Trends for 2019 in Financial Services

In the years since the financial crisis, there has been a significant focus within the Financial Services Sector on conservative, organic growth while managing risk and compliance expectations. In recent months, the Sector has been experiencing a shift. The rapid adoption of Fintech and Regtech, combined with the ever-increasing pressure on cost reduction, has created

How Business Leaders Can Prepare for COVID-19’s Transformational Impact

Over the past few weeks the world, as we know it, has changed: Unlike prior recessions of the past 30 years, this crisis did not start in the financial or housing markets. This is a global health crisis with dramatic financial and economic implications. In addition, given the runway needed for readiness of testing and

Keeping Economic Stimulus out of Criminal Hands Requires Lenders Taking Preventative Measures.

On March 17, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, known as the CARES Act, became law. CARES contains $376 billion in relief for American workers and small businesses. These funds were allocated to several new temporary programs. Most of these funds will initially be administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) but the

Impact Alpha: There need not be a tradeoff between profits and social impact

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Milton Friedman’s seminal article in the New York Times, “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits.” Therefore, I thought this week would be a good time to share the work that I have been working on with teams of students from my graduate-level business

Five must-do initiatives for the global banking system – Cyber-risk wake-up call

The FireEye security breach discovered last week underscores the diligence required to secure the global financial system in its current fragile state. The malware-infected software was downloaded by an estimated 18,000 customers which undoubtedly resulted in thousands of compromised networks. Although the banking regulators have already proposed requirements to supposedly address the enhanced risks brought about by

Growing Your Business Starts with Evaluating, Governing, and Managing Risk.

Building an actionable risk management program provides security and a clear response to any emerging event. For many in the banking, technology, and venture capital communities, it has been an intense few weeks. The increased industry activity that impacts enterprise risk includes: The revelation of questionable financial decision-making hiding in plain sight. Seemingly reasonable “flight

The Potential Commercial Credit Crisis and How It Will Affect Community Banks

The commercial credit market in the US is facing a potential crisis in the coming years, as many loans originated before the recent interest rate increases will be adjusting to higher rates in 2024, 2025, and 2026. This could lead to increased defaults, lower profitability, and higher risk for lenders, especially community banks that rely

Donor Advised Funds Under Scrutiny: What You Need to Know

Donor advised funds (DAFs) are charitable giving vehicles that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to a sponsoring organization, such as a community foundation or a financial institution, and then recommend grants to their favorite charities over time. DAFs have grown in popularity in recent years, as they offer flexibility, convenience, and anonymity to donors,

Liquidity Management

Problem Statement Liquidity management is a key challenge for banks, especially in times of market volatility and uncertainty. Banks need to maintain sufficient cash reserves to meet their operational needs and regulatory requirements, while also investing excess cash to generate returns. However, predicting daily cash inflows and outflows across different business units, currencies, and geographies