Sageworks Blog

Feb11

Trust in banks, financial services improves but still low Mary Ellen Biery [email] Research Specialist

Feb 11, 2013 14:11

A greater percentage of Americans trust banks and financial services firms than they did in 2011, but the industries remain the least trusted among all industries, according to a recent survey. [More]

Jan 18, 2013 08:23

Want to achieve higher growth and returns on investment from your commercial lending operations? Results from the 2012 Crowe Financial Institutions Compensation Survey suggest that one important tool for doing so may be better use of incentive compensation. [More]

Dec 18, 2012 12:39

Starting with the financial crisis, there has been a decided shift in the lending environment. Banks and credit unions with commercial lending have turned away from Commercial Real Estate loans (CRE) in favor of Commercial and Industrial Loans (C&I). How should banks prepare? Would a probability of default model ease the transition? [More]

Nov09

Using a probability of default Brad Schaefer [email] Analyst

Nov 09, 2012 14:48

In the last post, we had looked at credit risk models and, specifically, what a probability of default model does. But how does that apply to banks, and why should a financial institution trust a probability of default (PD) analysis. [More]

Oct25

Definitive guide to understanding global cash flow analysis Libby Bierman [email] Analyst

Oct 25, 2012 14:05

In today’s financial services industry, there is little room for poorly informed loan decisions. Especially given the recent change in BASEL requirements, a true understanding of risk is essential if your financial institution is to comply with regulatory guidelines. Sageworks releases a new whitepaper. [More]

Oct 08, 2012 09:29

A financial institution can improve its CAMELS rating and prepare for its examination by injecting efficiency and transparency into its risk management process. If a financial institution seems to be proactive in both recognizing and appropriately mitigating the risks inherent in bank operations, then examiners will be less likely to view that bank as “at risk.” [More]

Sep 14, 2012 13:04

Do lenders and analysts at financial institutions always understand the judgment behind the numbers they pull from tax returns? Are they able to gain insights into the business from the information on the returns? Linda Keith, CPA and trainer to hundreds of credit unions and banks discusses what lenders and analysts should do to make good loan decisions even when the recent cash flow history as evidenced by the tax returns does not seem to support it. [More]

Sep 05, 2012 09:42

Eliminating the adversarial entrepreneur-banker relationship is key to getting the loan to grow your business, says Brian Hamilton, co-founder and CEO of Sageworks. In this recent column for Inc.com, he describes how being able to answer two questions may help put a banker's worries at ease.
[More]

Aug 28, 2012 08:22

As board members and management look to improve their organization's Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) system, it's important to start by asking several critical questions, financial consultant Roberta Wagner of Bugbee Wagner PLLC says. In this guest column, Wagner proposes several topics executive leaders should probe in order to strengthen the process. [More]

Aug 13, 2012 13:59

For financial institutions looking to improve efficiency and profitability, credit risk management is critical. However, equally important is how to market the institution the right way. Guest columnist Lauren O’Connell, president of O'Connell Consulting Group, discusses some ways to help banks grow their business. [More]