March 11, 2020, was the day that many Americans began to realize COVID was going to radically change their lives, as businesses transitioned to work from home and the U.S. stopped all travel to Europe. Several bankers had a front-row seat to the events of that day at a White House meeting with President Trump and his advisers. We talk with three participants—Rob Nichols, head of the American Bankers Association, Rebeca Romero Rainey, CEO of the Independent Community Bankers of America, and Richard Hunt, leader of the Consumer Bankers Association—to go behind the scenes about that meeting, what they would advise President Biden now and the impact COVID has had on the financial services industry.

Karen Shaw Petrou, noted bank analyst and author of the new book “Engine of Inequality,” details how the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy and overaggressive bank regulation following the financial crisis have worsened economic inequality. She also discusses how policymakers can reverse course.

Rebeca Romero Rainey, the CEO and president of the Independent Community Bankers of America, talks about fintechs’ increasing efforts to break into banking, the return of Walmart’s banking ambitions, and her group’s agenda for 2021. She also tackles what banks learned during the first round of PPP and responds to Gary Cohn’s prediction that community banks are due for significant consolidation.

Daniel Tarullo, a former Federal Reserve governor and one of the key architects of the post Dodd-Frank bank regulatory regime, sits down for a wide-ranging interview on the challenges facing banks and their regulators right now. He talks about Big Tech and banking, climate change, the need for money market mutual fund reform, and the greatest risks to the financial system right now.  He also  tackles whether President Biden should go big on stimulus or instead worry about the resurgence of inflation and whether the Fed has taken on too much responsibility.

Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, raised some eyebrows last month with his direct assessment of the threat posed by fintechs to banks. But is he right? Penny Crosman, the executive editor for technology at American Banker, talks through why Dimon made that assessment and how it relates to the Durbin amendment, where fintechs are ahead of banks, and the areas banks still have key advantages.

The housing market has remained resilient in the face of COVID-19, but will that continue as forbearance moratoria run out and stimulus checks can no longer cover rent and mortgages? Richard Weidel, the CEO of Princeton Mortgage, talks about how mortgage firms have responded to the virus, whether it will make lasting changes in the mortgage process, and if we’re headed for another housing crisis.

Patrick Sells, the head of bank solutions for NYDIG and the former chief innovation officer of Quontic Bank, talks about consumers’ growing interest in storing Bitcoin at their local bank, why he helped create a rewards card tied to the cryptocurrency, and whether its incredible volatility is an impediment to its use.

Ian Katz, a bank policy analyst at Capital Alpha Partners, tackles the big questions banks have about a new administration and Congress. Will Sen. Sherrod Brown be able to enact his agenda as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee? How will Gary Gensler guide the SEC? What will new leadership at the OCC and CFPB tackle first? All this and much more on the latest episode of Banking with Interest.

Raj Date, the managing partner of venture capital firm Fenway Summer and former acting director of the CFPB, talks about the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the change of control in the Senate, how fintechs are faring during the COVID crisis, and where we go from here.

Golf Channel Play-by-Play Host Rich Lerner sits down with IntraFi’s Barb Rehm to talk about how professional golf has changed over the years, what players he’s watching now, and what the future of golf might bring. He also offers lessons from the top golfers and how bankers might benefit from them.