Bankadelic: The colorful side of finance

Certificates of deposit have been around since the days of bank vacation clubs and paper passbooks. But they’ve caught up to the digital age, and then some, thanks to the vision and passion of a Seattle-based banker. John Blizzard, Founder of CD Valet, takes us through the ins and outs of an online destination that offers customers some 40,000 choices, likely making it the largest such marketplace in the world. He also shares his views on how forces ranging from AI-driven search to interest rate pressure could shape (and shake) the CD environment in the months ahead.

So AI is on the rise for FIs: Tell us something we don't already know. But will agentic AI gain traction? Will banks hyperpersonalize with all that data or just muck about in the ones and zeroes? How will community banks and credit unions assert their relevance? The questions abound in 2026, and Bankadelic's got answers, based on interviews, McKinsey intelligence, statistics and more. Stick around, and you'll also get foolish forecasts from Elmo the Gentleman Farmer, Dr. Compliars, the Bankadelic Executioner and resident wiseguy Johnny Da Big, who gives us a live trial of his new LLM, BIG-GPT.

As part of our ongoing series on the biggest tech breakthrough in history, Bankadelic's "AI 4" experts tackle the subject of hyper-personalization. The idea that every bank customer is different--and thus should be treated as an individual--is common sense. Yet too often, financial institutions rely on "spray and pray" emails and generic loan offers that have nothing to do with the person who gets them. Our distinguished panel assesses the current state of hyper-personalization and whether 2026 could be a breakthrough year.

Our guests:

Emiliano Giacchetti, CEO, Parascript

Mitch Rutledge, CEO, Vertice AI

Mac Thompson, CEO, White Clay

Matthew Wood, Sr. Director of Banking, Tavant

As credit card APRs continue to soar, consumers remain addicted to the habit of putting everything on plastic, especially around the holidays. With the arrival of 2026, LendingClub Chief Customer Officer Mark Elliot walks us through how consumers can leverage debit cards to recover financial sanity, how banks can better promote financial wellness—and how his organization provides free tools such as DebtIQ to help people get smarter about monitoring and managing personal debt.

Disclaimer: Please note that any annual percentage yield (APY) rates discussed in the interview are variable and subject to change at any time, without notice, at the sole discretion of the bank.

It's that time of year again, when Banka Claus and his Bankadelic Elves come round to share holiday presents and cheer ... and four special guests offer their best banking insights: the highs, lows and hopes for the year ahead. They also dish about the holiday gifts that didn't quite work as we present the second annual Preetha Pulusani Leather Purse for Vegans Award, named in honor of DeepTarget's CEO and her story of what not to give a dedicated animal uber-lover.

Our guests:

Alex Demyanets, Chief Economist, Delfi

Wendy Wilson, Director of Product Management,  ARGO

Matthew Wood, Sr. Director, Product Management, Tavant

Samantha Ziesemer, COO, Digital Storefront

Just when you thought the holidays were safe from Bankadelic insanity, along comes resident wise guy Johnny Da Big with his version of "The Night Before Christmans," featuring that syndicate boss in the red suit, Nicky Da Saint. Craps games, law enforcement raids, bare-knuckled insults ... it'll have you dreaming of a White Chrstmas, or any other kind for that matter, rather than this one.

Those compelled to assist an ailing parent with their finances — and that’s likely you or someone you know — could look for a playbook. Or seek out an expert. Or learn from someone’s personal story. But how about all three? Beth Pinsker, CFP, and retirement columnist for MarketWatch shares her hard-won insights, rock-solid advice and the ways banks can do better in her just-released book “My Mother’s Money.” Beth also dishes on the mysterious "medallion stamp," a tool financial institutions supposedly use to protect a senior's finances, but defies all attempts to find it, let alone use it.

Leave it to us to mount our milestone 200th podcast 9 episodes late. But we also do things a bit differently at the Bankadelic Bunker. Here to help us mark the occasion, William Mills Agency EVP Catherine Laws turns the tables on host Lou Carlozo and interviews HIM. What does he have to say for himself? Find out, and take in all the well wishes from fintech industry stars, an executioner and a farmer--as well as that reident wiseguy, Johnny Da Big. A spirited, fun celebration and a seamless customer experience.

Before banks of any size can make the most of risk-informed business intelligence, they have to get their data act together and their business priorities straight. Edward Vincent, the CEO at Lumio Solutions, discusses smart data strategy at a time when AI is taking center stage ... even though many banking execs aren't exactly sure how to use it. The goal, as Vincent describes it, is to help decision makers spend more time focused on what matters most: serving customers and engaging with their local communities.

Even with the year-long purge of long-standing federal government agencies, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau still stands as a bulwark for people who seek information and resources in their dealings with financial institutions. On this episode, James 'Jim” McCarthy of McCarthy Hatch shares about his days getting the bureau off the ground—and how his company utilizes real-time risk prediction for the consumer financial industry to smooth the path for consumers and FIs to achieve positive complaint resolutions.