Keith Daly, Principal of Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian, sits down with Chuck Nabhan, Managing Director and Equity Research Analyst at Stephens, to unpack fintech valuations, AI disruption, and the regulatory “moat” protecting core banking technology. Drawing on nearly two decades of equity research, Nabhan breaks down why AI hype is distorting fintech valuations, which parts of the tech stack are truly vulnerable, and where durable business models still exist. The conversation also highlights modernization priorities for community banks, including digital account opening, fraud prevention, and profitable growth in a post-euphoria market.

Dimitar Karaivanov, President & CEO of Community Bank System, and C.K. Lee, President & CEO of InterBank, discuss how Wall Street experience translates into community banking leadership.As community banks face rising complexity, tighter margins, and heightened expectations from boards and regulators, leadership backgrounds are evolving. Karaivanov and Lee share how bank strategy, talent decisions, capital discipline, and long-term accountability shift when executives move from advising on transactions to executing inside the institution.Hosted by Brian Love, Head of Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian, and Andrew Liesch, Head of Bank Strategy.

Pathward President Anthony Sharett joins Travillian Next host Amber Buker to share how a culture-first talent strategy is driving innovation, employee engagement, and financial inclusion. The conversation explores Pathward’s “talent anywhere” approach, curiosity-driven hiring, and how strong culture and regulatory discipline work together to prepare for 2030.Timestamps:00:00 – The journey from law to bank leadership03:04 – Defining purpose and the power of culture05:21 – Building an innovative workforce06:45 – Bridging the digital skills gap10:20 – High-demand roles and the AI frontier13:14 – Innovation within regulatory guardrails14:44 – The “talent anywhere” recruiting strategy18:19 – Mastering the first 90 days of onboarding21:58 – Investing in the bank’s most valuable asset24:02 – Looking toward the bank of 2030

Community banks are no longer on the sidelines of digital assets.

Keith Daly of Travillian speaks with Caitlin Long, Founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, and Shawn Main of Vantage Bank Texas about how tokenized deposits, stablecoins, and interoperable payment rails are becoming real banking infrastructure.

They break down the GENIUS Act, atomic settlement, and a new bank-led consortium designed to give community banks a compliant, practical path into digital asset payments. From cross-border transactions to logistics and restaurant payouts, the episode shows how settlement speed, transparency, and customer expectations are reshaping competition.

If you work in community banking, fintech, payments, or digital assets, this episode explains what is changing, why it matters, and how banks can stay relevant.

Succession planning is one of the most important decisions a bank will ever make. In this episode, Starion Bank CEO Craig Larson and President Dave Rogstad join Brian Love, Head of Banking & Fintech at Travillian, to share the real story behind Starion’s leadership transition.What began as a national executive search revealed that the bank’s next president had been developing internally all along. The conversation explores leadership humility, cultural alignment, internal talent development, and why confidence without self-awareness can derail succession decisions.If you care about bank leadership, executive succession planning, and long-term culture, this episode offers a rare, honest look inside a real transition.Timestamps00:16 Why succession planning carries more weight than any other decision01:44 A leadership shift that forced a strategic reset03:58 A leader who was not trying to be one yet05:21 Why the external search was about perspective, not replacement06:06 Defining culture before defining candidates08:28 When external strength met internal growth09:34 The quiet doubt that often comes with growth10:22 Learning the bank one layer at a time12:15 Why culture became the deciding factor14:57 Leadership and the bank’s business evolution16:16 When humility becomes a strength17:15 The transition from peer to leader19:01 Succession as a long term commitment21:22 When external talent strengthens internal identity23:45 Why succession planning never truly ends25:48 Building the next decade one decision at a time27:31 The vision of a super community bank29:57 A story that was always about people

2025 was a rollercoaster year for community banks navigating the talent market. Early optimism gave way to hesitation as uncertainty, M&A activity, and competitive pressure reshaped hiring decisions across the industry. As the year came to a close, momentum began to return.In this year-end conversation, Travillian reflects on what the past year revealed about community bank talent strategy and why optimism is building for 2026. The discussion explores how leadership roles are evolving, why competition for experienced banking talent has intensified, and how storytelling has become a critical differentiator in executive search.As community banks compete with larger institutions, fintechs, and sponsor banks for top talent, the ability to clearly articulate culture, leadership vision, and growth opportunity is no longer optional. Banks that control their narrative are better positioned to attract and retain strong leaders as hiring accelerates.This conversation covers:• The banking talent market in 2025 and why hiring felt volatile• How M&A activity is reshaping the available talent pool• Why storytelling matters in community bank executive search• Shifting expectations for CEO, CFO, and risk leadership roles• What community banks need to do now to win talent in 2026If you’re thinking about leadership hiring, succession planning, or talent strategy for your community bank, this conversation offers practical perspective on what’s changing and what’s ahead.

Bank M&A isn’t about speed anymore. It’s about preparation.In this episode of the Travillian Next podcast, investment bankers from Janney Montgomery Scott and D.A. Davidson break down how bank M&A has become a long game shaped by diligence, culture, regulation, and timing.Travillian’s Brian Love and Andrew Liesch sit down with Dan Flaherty (Janney) and Gene Katz (D.A. Davidson) to discuss how M&A conversations now happen years before a deal is signed, why diligence has become confirmatory rather than exploratory, and how cultural fit, succession planning, and regulatory strategy increasingly determine whether deals succeed or fail.The conversation also explores the role of credit unions as bank buyers, how fintech and private investors fit into today’s M&A landscape, and why boards are thinking beyond short-term stock reactions when evaluating acquisitions. For bank executives, directors, and investors trying to understand where consolidation is headed, this discussion offers a realistic, on-the-ground view of what’s actually driving deals today.Topics covered include:• The evolution of bank M&A diligence• Why culture is now a core deal risk• Regulatory tone and approval timelines• Succession planning and talent-driven transactions• Credit unions, fintech buyers, and market dynamics• What investment bankers expect for bank M&A in 2026

Consumers are shifting from traditional search engines to AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, which is fundamentally changing how financial products appear and get evaluated.

Amber Buker, Chief Research Officer at Travillian, reconnects with Alana Levine, Chief Revenue Officer at Fintel Connect, to explore one of the biggest shifts uncovered in Fintel Connect’s annual survey: the rise of consumers using Large Language Models like ChatGPT and Gemini to research financial products. This move away from traditional search engines is already reshaping affiliate marketing, prompting Fintel Connect to examine how different AI models source recommendations and how financial institutions can stay visible in a growing no-click environment.

Hosted by Keith Daly, Principal, Banking & Fintech Search at Travillian, this strategic conversation features Nikhil Lakhanpal, Co-founder of Narmi, and Chris Tremont, Chief Digital Officer at Grasshopper Bank. They detail the launch of the first Model Context Protocol (MCP) banking integration, explaining how this technology enables AI platforms to perform CFO-level financial analysis for small business clients securely.

Learn why bank leadership must embrace a decisive AI strategy or risk the rising cost of complacency in the future of finance.

This episode brings together host Andrew Liesch, Head of Bank Strategy at Travillian, and Stephen Scouten, Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst at Piper Sandler, for one of the most grounded conversations you’ll hear on bank performance heading into 2026. Scouten lays out why management teams feel more optimistic than they have in years, why valuations remain stubbornly low, and what rate cuts, deposit costs, CRE fears, and a wide-open M&A window mean for the industry.

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Disclosures for universe of: Stephen Scouten

1. I or a household member has a financial interest in the securities of the following companies: none

2. I or a household member is an officer, director, or advisory board member of the following companies: none

3. I have received compensation within the past 12 months from the following companies: none

4. Piper Sandler beneficially owns 1% or more of a class of the following companies: none

5. Piper Sandler has had a client relationship or has received compensation for investment banking services from the following companies within the past 12 months: AMTB, AUB, COSO, FCNCA, PNFP, RNST, SBCF, SFNC, SNV, SSB, UBSI, USCB

6. Piper Sandler expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from the following companies in the next 3 months: FCNCA, PNFP, SBCF, SFNC, SNV, USCB

7. Piper Sandler was a managing underwriter of a public offering of, or a dealer manager of a tender offer for, the securities of the following companies within the past 12 months: COSO, FCNCA, SFNC, SSB, USCB

8. Piper Sandler has had a client relationship and has received compensation for non-investment banking securities related products or services in the past 12 months for the following companies: ABCB, AMTB, AUB, BKU, CADE, FBNC, FCNCA, HBCP, HOMB, HWC, ISTR, OBK, OZK, PB, SBCF, SFBS, SNV, SSB, STEL, TRMK, UBSI, UCB

9. Piper Sandler has had a client relationship and has received compensation for non-securities services in the past 12 months for the following companies: none

10. Piper Sandler is a registered market maker for the following companies: ABCB, AMTB, AUB, BKU, CADE, COSO, FBNC, FCNCA, HBCP, HOMB, HWC, ISTR, OBK, OZK, PB, PNFP, RNST, SBCF, SFBS, SFNC, SFST, SMBK, SPFI, SSB, STEL, TCBI, TRMK, UBSI, UCB, USCB

11. Piper Sandler will buy and sell securities on a principal basis for the following companies: FBK, HTH, SNV