Cloud migration was a big deal for banks before COVID, but it kicked into a higher gear than ever as the pandemic drove virtual banking, digital workflows and remote work across the industry. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by Apiture — Matt Burke, the newly appointed CEO of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, talks about how his  bank and others have tapped into new efficiencies through cloud adoption.

Burke, who succeeded former ABA Chair Dorothy Savarese earlier this year, also discusses his own banking career journey and path through the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking. And with Cape Cod Five’s home base in a coastal region, Burke discusses the bank’s work on climate risk management and mitigation efforts.

In this bonus episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by IntraFi Network — ABA’s Peter Cook and Melissa Murray discuss the ABA Foundation’s signature recognition program, the Community Commitment Awards. Applications are now open for the 10th annual awards, which recognize and promote extraordinary bank commitment to communities and the innovative, high-impact programs that improve the quality of life for customers and the communities banks serve.

Applications are due July 1, and banks may enter in any or all of the following categories:

• Affordable housing
• Community and economic development
• Financial education
• Economic inclusion
• Protecting older Americans
• Supporting military families
• Volunteerism
• The George Bailey Award (for non-CEO bank employees who demonstrate outstanding service to their bank, industry and community)

The cookies may be pre-packaged in plastic, but human touch remains essential to community banking. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by IntraFi Network — 1st Security Bank EVP Kelli Nielsen discusses how the retail banking customer experience is changing in the post-COVID era and why in-branch activity remains important. Nielsen also talks about her bank’s approach to talent management in a tight labor market and — as an ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking alumna and advisory board member — discusses the Women of Stonier initiative.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell recently referred to a “soft-ish landing” as a potential outcome for monetary policy as the Fed raises rates to cut inflation. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by IntraFi Network — ABA Economic Advisory Committee Chair Richard DeKaser offers the EAC’s consensus forecast that the Fed will indeed stick the landing, reducing inflation gradually without harming employment or causing a recession.

DeKaser, who is also chief corporate economist at Wells Fargo, also discusses the EAC’s outlook for the housing market, job openings and the labor force, and credit quality.

In an environment of hiring challenges, cost inflation, supply chain woes and post-pandemic recovery, small business owners are busier than ever. “Sometimes small business owners don’t even have time to spend with their families,” says KeyBank SVP Kristyn Squires. “So when we spend time with them, it needs to be compelling.”

On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by IntraFi Network — Squires, the national small business sales leader for the Cleveland-based regional bank, discusses how KeyBank uses a quick digital check-in tool to help clients communicate needs, goals and challenges and how tools like this help the bank improve and advance its relationship banking model.

In a special bonus episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by IntraFi Network — ABA SVP Rob Morgan digs into the association’s comments on the Federal Reserve’s discussion paper on central bank digital currencies. With ABA estimating that the Fed’s hypothetical CBDC design could put 71% of banks’ funding at risk, Morgan discusses:

• Why a CBDC would not achieve the financial inclusion, efficiency and international competitiveness goals its advocates claim
• The substantial downsides a CBDC could pose to banks, consumers and the U.S. economy
• The path forward for a CBDC in Congress and at the Federal Reserve.

But before the advent of the FBI and robust state police forces, bank robberies were often left to sometimes poorly equipped local law enforcement. In Indiana in the 1920s, bankers took the protection of their banks into their own hands. On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by IntraFi Network — the Indiana Bankers Association’s Josh Myers discusses:

• The challenge robberies posed to banks in the 1920s.
• How the IBA provided weapons to bank employees, plus training in how to use them safely.
• The partnership the “Indiana vigilantes” and law enforcement.
• Stories and anecdotes from this unusual chapter in banking history.

• The contours of the proposed disclosures and how they would work.
• Implications for non-public companies, including privately owned banks not registered with the SEC.
• Safe harbors proposed within the disclosures.
• The need to avoid unintended consequences from an emerging area of risk practice, particularly when applied to prudential supervision.
• The potential need for sophisticated modeling and expert consulting services to comply and the need for scalability for smaller SEC registrants.

A comment letter writing guide to help bankers write their own comments will be available on aba.com in the coming days.

After 22 years at ABA, the association’s top lobbyist James Ballentine will soon retire. In this special episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by IntraFi Network — Ballentine reflects on lessons learned during his career in Washington and shares tips both on effective banking advocacy and on promoting diversity and inclusion in banking. Among other topics, Ballentine talks about:

• The state of current bank policy issues in Congress like the SAFE Banking Act and ECORA.
• Behind-the-scenes stories on legislation like Dodd-Frank and S. 2155.
• How a legislative loss on a credit union bill 25 years ago galvanized the banking industry to ramp up its advocacy.
• Why it’s critical for emerging bank leaders to share their perspectives and experiences with lawmakers.
• How his experience as a former Small Business Administration staffer helped the industry navigate the Paycheck Protection Program.
• His work as a diversity, equity and inclusion leader both in Washington and in the industry.

It’s National Financial Literacy Month, but on the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast — sponsored by IntraFi Network — Matthew Hennessey digs into the literacy that undergirds financial literacy: the basics of economic decision-making, from prices and markets to preferences and specialization. “The main lesson at the heart of economics is that life is about tradeoffs and that economics is about choice,” Hennessey says. “When we make a choice, it almost always means we’re giving something up that we value.” In the newly released book Visible Hand, Hennessey — deputy op-ed editor at the Wall Street Journal — illuminates these concepts in a self-described “avuncular” style designed to help average Americans understand how they make economic decisions every day and to appreciate the free enterprise system that lays atop those decisions.

This episode is sponsored by IntraFi Network.