Bankers Helping Bankers Announces Launch of Venture Capital Fund

On July 12, Bankers Helping Bankers (BHB) announced the launch of the Bankers Helping Bankers Fund (BHB Fund), a fintech venture capital fund managed by Latitude38 Venture Partners. The fund will support community bankers’ engagement with emerging technology providers to meet the future needs of customers and navigate the rapidly changing landscape of financial technology. It’s … Read more

Texas Banking Associations Join Efforts in Soliciting Donations in Support of Uvalde

In the wake of the recent tragic events at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, bankers in the Lone Star State and across America are committed to supporting the families of victims, as well as impacted educators and first responders. The Texas Bankers Association and Independent Bankers Association of Texas have united to provide support … Read more

Texas Bankers Hall of Fame Announces 2022 Honorees

The Texas Bankers Hall of Fame will induct its 2022 honorees at the Ninth Annual Texas Bankers Hall of Fame Gala on April 28 on the campus of Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. Five iconic bankers—James D. “Jay” Dreibelbis, the late Robert Griffith “Bob” Greer, W. Wes Hoskins, Ben Morgan and R. Michael Rigby—will … Read more

A Comment on Implementing Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act

BAILEY ALLEN, PhD Student, Rawls College of Business, Texas Tech University MIKE MAULDIN, Director of the Excellence in Banking Program, Texas Tech University DREW WINTERS, Pickering Chair in Finance, Texas Tech University The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (hereafter, Dodd-Frank Act) was created—according to the first paragraph of the act itself: “To … Read more

Community Bankers Explore the Basics of Cryptocurrencies

In early December, Bankers Helping Bankers hosted its first event for community bankers throughout the country since the platform launched in October. The hour-long educational session featured Ben Soppitt, CEO of Unifimoney, a cryptocurrency trading application, in conversation with Independent Bankers Association of Texas President and CEO Christopher Williston about the basics of cryptocurrencies and … Read more

Unprecedented Support for Community Banks: Bankers Helping Bankers

The Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) and FedFis, a fintech firm specializing in data transformation for financial institutions, have announced Bankers Helping Bankers, a new bankers-only platform to help community banks survive and thrive. Texas-based FedFis brings more than 40 years of building data in the banking industry, information that can benefit every community … Read more

Understanding the Reach of the SBA and Community Banks in Texas

MARK GRIFFITHS, Adjunct Professor, University of Southern California MIKE MAULDIN, Director of the Excellence In Banking Program, Texas Tech University DREW WINTERS, Pickering Chair in Finance, Texas Tech University EDITOR’S NOTE: This research paper—part three of a comprehensive look at the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)—was provided by the Excellence in Banking Program at Texas Tech … Read more

Will Varo Bank be the Pin that Pops the Fintech Valuation Bubble?

Every banker has read the sensational headlines of massive funding rounds at almost unfathomable valuations for almost any company with a fintech moniker. They also know the narrative; bankers are greedy and dumb, credit unions are slow and can’t innovate, and morally superior (here again) fintechs are here to disrupt the trillion-dollar financial services industry, … Read more

Loan Admin 101: Effective Loan Administration Crucial in Pandemic Era

Effective loan administration will protect margins and balance sheets at banks over the next year as financial institutions handle the effects of the pandemic-induced economic crisis. In any economy—but especially in the current one where borrowers’ financial situations are changing or highly uncertain—financial institution loan administration systems deserve a checkup and, in some cases, an … Read more