In this special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet welcome Michael Bell, Partner and Leader of the Financial Institutions Practice at Honigman, LLP, where he has become the nationwide leader and go-to legal adviser for credit unions seeking scale. In their lively conversation on M&A in financial services, Michael discusses the growth outlook for community financial institutions and ways that mergers and acquisitions help further the credit union mission and movement. He shares his belief that credit unions and community banks are ‘kissing cousins’ – both sharing the same passion for serving customers and communities and facing similar regulatory and competitive challenges. Finally, they discuss data-driven decision making and the role of research in guiding growth strategies for community financial institutions, whether it’s for M&A, branding or branching.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm