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The final version of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed by the U.S. Senate would make life easier for community banks this year. The bill temporarily lowers the community bank leverage ratio to 8 percent and postpones the new accounting standards known as CECL ...
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By Adam Mustafa, Invictus Group CEO The decision on whether to opt into the new Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR) feels trivial right now. The immediate focus of every community bank in the country needs to be on the safety and economic well-being of their ...
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By Adam Mustafa, Invictus Group CEO Make no mistake: We are entering economic times that will challenge us all. But community bankers must realize – not just for financial and strategic reasons, but for psychological ones, as well – that they are better positioned to ...
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By Adam Mustafa, Invictus Group CEO The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. this week did something unusual:  FDIC chair Jelena McWilliams sent a letter to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, asking it to delay implementing the current expected credit loss (CECL) standard while banks deal with ...
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Dear Friends, As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds, we are all in the dark with respect to the ultimate impact on the economy. I have seen a myriad of predictions, ranging from the avoidance of a recession altogether (hard to imagine) to a deep recession that ...
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By Adam Mustafa, Invictus Group CEO If we do not get a miracle turnaround with respect to the coronavirus and its impact on markets, the first quarter earnings for most publicly traded community banks (SEC filers) is going to be a disaster because of CECL ...
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By Adam Mustafa, Invictus Group CEO The coronavirus chaos and its cascading impact on the financial markets has obliterated the existing strategic plan for every community bank virtually overnight. Bank CEOs are now forced to shift gears and dust off their firefighting uniforms. They must ...
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Bank Director’s annual Acquire or Be Acquired (AOBA) conference was marked by positive buzz. After all, bank M&A for 2019 came in at a four-year peak, the fastest pace in history. But community bank acquisition strategies can’t be explained with a business-as-usual mindset. We all ...
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A handbook compiling essential information and guidance about the community bank leverage ratio ...
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Many community bankers do not realize their own existing capital plans may be more stringent than the community bank leverage ratio (CBLR). We all know bankers like math. So read on to find out how I can prove that simply ignoring the CBLR—without proactive stress ...
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