Believe in Banking

In this special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet welcome Al Dominick, Partner with Cornerstone Advisors, a consulting services firm powered by data to deliver customized results for banks and credit unions. In their lively conversation, Al, Gina, and Juliet discuss the current state of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the banking and credit union sectors, including factors driving the need for scale and the challenges and opportunities for change. They explore the importance of data-driven decision making, employee productivity, and brand development for M&A deal success. They also address Cornerstone’s approach to client engagement and discuss how to foster a culture of collaboration to support leaders making change for the better in the banking industry. Finally, they discuss strategies institutions can employ to stay relevant and resilient in a continually evolving environment. This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

In the year-end episode, the Believe in Banking podcast covers the key trends and themes that have shaped the banking industry in 2024 and are expected to continue in 2025. Conversations between Gina Bleedorn, Juliet D’Ambrosio, and Sean Keathley address the generational shift in banking, finding Gen Z more focused on advisory experiences and driving banks and credit unions to invest heavily in their branch networks to stay relevant. Bringing the brand into the branch remains essential for financial institutions to build loyalty and advocacy with customers, and a bigger focus on branding or rebranding is shown to be a core tenet for success in financial services. Finally, no December episode would be complete without addressing the rise of generative AI that is set to transform the banking industry by automating routine tasks and freeing up bankers to focus on higher-value human relationships. This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

In this episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet discuss the resurgence of investment in the bank branch and Adrenaline’s new report “The Branch Advantage: Essential Retail Strategies for Banking Industry Leaders.” Their conversation covers how major banks like PNC, Chase, Bank of America, and others are announcing significant investments in branch expansion and renovation, indicating a broader industry trend. They spotlight three examples of financial institutions featured in the report – VeraBank, Virginia Credit Union, and Guaranty Bank – and how successful branch transformation strategies helped each institution gain advantage out of this critical channel. Essential to this success was defining a “North Star” experience, which identifies a clear vision and purpose for the branches across the network. Finally, they discuss original industry data that finds that banks and credit unions that invest in branch transformation are seeing significant returns, including higher deposit growth relative to the market. This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

In this episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet spotlight news about how major banks like Chase, PNC, and Bank of America are making significant investments in expanding and renovating their branch networks, demonstrating the continued vitality of the branch channel. They also announce the upcoming report “The Payoff & Process of Branch Investment: Maximizing ROI for Financial Brands,” coming in November, which explores what makes branch investment successful. One critical component of ensuring ROI for the in-person banking channel is branch marketing. Effective branch marketing leverages proximity to deliver marketing messages that strengthen relationships with customers or members, drive awareness of the financial brand, and promote local growth to ensure institutional success. Gina and Juliet discuss best practices in branch marketing, including employing a zonal framework for design and merchandising, which spotlights the right place, right message and right delivery for branch marketing and how targeted messaging is the most effective means for creating customer connections. This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm