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SRM Perspectives on Key Industry Trends

Bob Koehler & Tim Keith

Bob Koehler is executive vice president at SRM. Tim Keith is chief strategist, account growth at SRM.

Recent Posts

Boosting Growth in a Far-From-Normal Banking Environment

Posted by Bob Koehler & Tim Keith on Sep 21, 2021 9:30:00 AM

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As discussed in a recent blog post, banks and credit unions of all sizes continue to navigate a bizarre disconnect. Awash in a steady stream of deposit inflows from both businesses and consumers, institutions are hard-pressed to generate sufficient loan demand to put these funds to profitable use.

A crucial part of the challenge stems from account acquisition capabilities not keeping pace with customers’ digital evolution. This trend was already well underway but accelerated during the pandemic. SRM’s recent white paper, How Financial Institutions Can Boost Account Growth to Move with Changing Margins, outlines an actionable methodology for leveraging data analysis and market expertise to identify and act on a consistent stream of opportunities.

Here’s a preview of some of the insights covered in the white paper.

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Topics: Vendor Contract Negotiation, Bank Vendor Management, Credit Union Vendor Management

The Equation to Boost Account Growth

Posted by Bob Koehler & Tim Keith on Aug 4, 2021 9:30:00 AM

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It’s an inconvenient truth - the timing of customers’ financial needs don’t always align with balance sheet strategy or marketing campaigns. Due to the pandemic, banks and credit unions were flooded with an unprecedented level of deposits but faced muted demand for the loans that put these funds to work.

Although no one has a silver bullet to synchronize customer needs with portfolio strategy, there may be an equation. SRM’s latest white paper, How Financial Institutions Can Boost Account Growth to Move with Changing Margins, offers a disciplined approach to being present when customers are “in-market” as well as a “growth equation” to boost account growth performance.

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Topics: Lending, Marketing, Revenue Growth

How Lending Institutions Can Leverage Data and Benchmarks to Boost Performance

Posted by Bob Koehler & Tim Keith on Mar 31, 2021 10:00:00 AM

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Bankers may need little convincing to see that we’re dealing with highly unusual market conditions, but the data certainly helps put the situation into perspective.

In 2020, the number of new checking households dropped by half compared to a typical year of account openings, however the average checking account balance grew by an astonishing $1,833. Indeed, many experienced a meaningful increase in liquidity, though not all higher checking balances reflect greater wealth. There have been unusually high shifts of expiring CD balances to more liquid savings vehicles, as well as an influx of government economic relief funds. On the other hand, fewer are opening new accounts. This could have dire consequences for individual institutions if it becomes a long-term trend since household growth is the lifeblood of community financial institutions (FIs).

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Topics: Credit Union Portfolio Management, Lending Strategy, Growing Lending Portfolio, Banking Benchmarks, Credit Union Benchmarks, Normalization, Activate Relate Acquire, Deposit Influx Strategy, Peer-to-Peer Statistical Normative, Data Analysis

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