This October, Bank Director welcomed bank CEOs, Chairmen, Presidents, CFOs and members of the board to the Western Peer Exchange.  This exclusive event provided a unique opportunity for a bank’s senior-most leaders to meet with peers from a mix of banks located west of the Mississippi from financial institutions between $100M and $5Bn in size.  Four closed-door, off-the-record peer exchanges were held during the event along with multiple sessions conducted by industry leaders and expert advisers.

Bank Director’s Western Peer Exchange focused on four key areas, Mergers & Acquisitions, Managing Risk, Compensation Trends and Governance Challenges. Below is a sampling of the discussion questions that were discussed during the peer exchanges:

  • M&A Opportunities
    How does the board and/or CEO scout for acquisitions?
    What is your view on bank valuations in your market and how is that likely to impact your behavior as a potential buyer or seller?
    How would you characterize the organic growth opportunities in your market, and what are they?
  • Developing Plans to Grow While Managing Risk
    What IT risks do you worry about most, and what are your strategies for dealing with them?
    What are the greatest regulatory challenges facing your bank?
    Does anyone use internal audit report ratings as a critical measurement for management effectiveness?
  • Compensation Trends
    How does your bank’s board address talent management and succession planning matters?
    Does your bank have a board retirement age or use board evaluations?
    What role does the CEO play in determining the specific compensation of other people within the organization?
  • Governance Challenges
    How are you monitoring management progress in terms of their anticipating and responding to regulations?
    In terms of communication between the board and executive team, what do you expect management to communicate to you?  How frequently do you expect to receive information? Do you perceive any gaps in the knowledge that is available?

For information about our Western Peer Exchange, please contact us at [email protected] or (877) 397-7595.