In recent years there has been more reporting and recognition of the racial wealth gap- the large, and growing, gap in the percentage of family wealth in black households, as compared to white households.
Banks like Carver State have been operating within the mission to serve the African American community since 1927 and are now leveraging partners to maximize their reach and accessibility.
Our guest today, Robert James, Chief Executive Officer at Carver State Bank, gives our listeners a look at the unique service they provide and how they have been addressing the racial wealth gap in Georgia for several decades.
Join us as we discuss:
Carver State’s role as both a minority depository institution (MDI) and community development financial institution (CDFI)
Unlocking credit access and opportunity
Leveraging fintech partnerships to find the balance between high tech and high touch
How the National Bankers Association (NBA) ensures the needs of MDIs across the country are met     


Want to learn more about how Upstart partners with banks? Check out this case study mentioned in the episode.

Credit unions are dedicated to not only serving their members’ financial needs, but to helping their members foster long-term, financial wellness.
Our guest today, Brian Vannoy, Chief Credit and Risk Officer at Allegacy Federal, describes Allegacy Credit Union’s unique approach to both direct and indirect auto lending as well as personal lending, and how they create opportunities to influence their members’ lives for the better.
Join us as we discuss:
Allegacy’s unique approach to both direct and indirect lending
The use of a network of point of sale relationships to offer better rates for members
Techniques to foster greater financial well-being for members
Creating a mission-led organization

Digital strategies are not just for deepening relationships with your customers. The digital experience is also a way to refine and improve processes while also building community and trust.
Today’s guests Mary Kate Loftus, Executive Vice President, Director of Digital Banking, and Tim Frederick, /EVP, Head of Mortgage Originations at M&T, know that digital touch doesn’t replace a human connection with a customer, but it can help define it.
Join us as we discuss:
The difference between digitization and going digital to leverage platforms and transform processes
Government-led innovation in the mortgage space
The role trust plays in capturing and keeping customers engaging digitally
The characteristics that separate the winners from the losers in the future of consumer lending

Digital advertising is a given for any business in the world today, but how can credit unions connect the right products to their existing members and grow their member base?
By increasing and honing their digital engagement tactics.
Today’s guest Michael Hostetler, VP of Marketing at Crane Credit Union, shares how his credit union leverages data to thoughtfully market relevant products to members.
Join us as we discuss:
Using an entrepreneurial mindset to increase credit union member growth and engagement
Educating members about product offerings
Improving the new member and new loan onboarding process
Digital marketing strategies and channels that integrate the marketing and user experience

In a market where the consumer is juggling multiple relationships with financial institutions, how can credit unions compete?
Consumers want to better understand their financial well-being, which means they need a holistic picture across multiple platforms. Drawing on data from a mix of daily digital habits can provide just that, while also driving loyalty.
Samantha Paxton, Chief Experience Officer at Co-op Financial Services, shares her experience in building these systems for credit unions and the indispensable value they serve for strong member relationships.
Join us as we discuss:
How to measure the strength of member relationships
Driving engagement with payments and money movement
How to help foster financial well-being by being friction-free and guiding members to achieve their long-term goals

Providing consumers with their credit score is table stakes in consumer banking. Now, banks and credit unions can take this a step further to assess where and when consumers are coming back, and how to ultimately use this information to grow their relationships more deeply and into new products.
Enter Array.
Today, Jacob Bouer, Director of Sales and Strategic Partnerships at Array, joins us to break down the concepts banks and credit unions need to know to get the most new credit technologies and their partnerships.
Join us as we discuss:
Providing consumers with a better experience surrounding their credit scores
How to measure the value fintech partnerships are delivering to end customers and members
How to thoughtfully position products and generate next best action capabilities

Data is critical to lending institutions, but financial institutions must remember that there are people behind the numbers. 
With a focus on fair lending practices, financial literacy and compliance - Britt Faircloth, SVP, Fair Banking Officer at Valley Bank, offers her insights on how financial institutions can partner with their compliance teams to offer the right products for their communities.
Join us as we discuss:
Using data to ensure products fit the needs of communities
How compliance and product can partner
Fair lending approaches applied to non-lending products
Corporate responsibility and environmental, social and governance (ESG)
The importance of financial education and literacy

It’s a changing world. You can’t do business as usual and expect it to continue to work for your customers.
That’s why innovation around new market approaches are more important than ever, and that doesn’t happen by accident. It requires investment in new technology and the right team to understand and navigate it. David Houchen, Senior VP and CFO at First Federal Bank of Kansas City, explains that lenders can’t be offering the same things they did 15 years ago, and how partners open the door for new product offerings.
Join us as we discuss:
How FFBKC worked with Upstart to build their unsecured lending portfolio
Their focus on diversifying their loan asset mix
The decision to partner for personal loans

The potential crisis has everyone concerned, but there is also opportunity at junctures like this in the market.
Perry Rahbar, Founder an d Chief Executive Officer of dv01, shares his insights on services that are most valuable during uncertain times. Additionally, Rahbar discusses how the mortgage crisis led him to found a unique FinTech data operation.
Join us as we discuss:
How dv01 was born out of the mortgage crisis
dv01’s position as a data hub integrating with originators, banks and investors
The economic outlook and how this will impact demand for credit
Opportunities in solar and auto loans

In the midst of rising rates, how are personalized loans and securitized loans poised to change or influence the lending landscape?
Anand Cavale, EVP of Unsecured lending at Guaranteed Rate, with his varied background in engineering, banking and credit cards, shares his thoughts on the emerging trends in consumer lending and gives us background info on when the changes started.
Join us as we discuss:
Rising rates on credit cards may create opportunities for personals loans
The move toward buy now, buy later and its implications
The opportunity and pitfalls of student lending
The shift towards solar energy and crypto