Banks Step Up Efforts to Purge Loans

Many banks have sold loans or business lines or have let certain credits run off. We also look at an AI solution to help banks vet small-business lending opportunities.

Happy Monday, Bank Slaters!

How are you feeling? Doing great here.

Staying busy with several projects while putting the finishing touches on our report on bankers’ 2025 budgeting expectations. All systems go to release our initial findings in the next week. More information on accessing it in a few days.

Soon, I’ll be in New York attending the American Bankers Association’s Annual Convention where I will join an M&A panel. Stay tuned — I recorded a podcast with incoming John Asbury, CEO of Atlantic Union Bank and incoming ABA chair that will go live next week in conjunction with the conference. Premium subscribers get first access — another nudge to level up your sub!

After that, I will moderate a panel at Ole Miss on growing your bank in uncertain times. We had our prep call last week — here’s a teaser video from the session.

I am confident that both conferences will yield amazing content and perspectives from some high-level people. No spoilers — you’ll have to stay tuned to find out who we have set up for interviews.

Speaking of M&A, my latest contribution to Bank Director is live, looking at relevant trends in recent merger announcements. You can access the article here.

Let’s talk about derisking loan portfolios.

We’ve seen several banks disclose efforts to pare back exposure to the industry’s riskier loan segments. Here are a few examples from the current earnings season.