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Governance
09/11/2025

From Outsider to Insider: What I’ve Learned as a Bank Director

Awareness of board culture, understanding the bank and getting the right information help directors positively contribute to their board’s work.

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About the authors
Written by
Jim McAlpin Board Member

Jim McAlpin has over thirty five years of experience in advising leaders of financial institutions and boards of directors on strategic, regulatory and corporate governance matters. His  corporate governance expertise is based on decades of being in board rooms to assist clients with  mergers and acquisitions, capital and debt issuances, strategic planning and succession planning. Jim has deep understanding of  the duties, responsibilities and fiduciary obligations of  directors and an ability  to explain these duties in plain English. A passion for Jim at this stage of his career is helping good boards become great boards through a process of learning, engagement and intentional choices. Jim currently serves on the board of Bank Director. He also serves on the boards of two mid-sized banks. He is a nationally recognized speaker at financial industry conferences and contributes regularly to publications on bank and corporate governance related topics. He is  often quoted in banking industry publications.

 

Jim McAlpin
Board Member
As an attorney, I’ve advised bank boards for more than 35 years. But when I joined a bank board seven years ago, I realized I was embarking on a journey of discovery of actually being a director. The timing was good when I joined the board of ten-year-old Hyperion Bank in 2018. I was late in my career as a corporate and banking lawyer. At the now $490 million, Philadelphia-based bank, a subsidiary of Hyperion Bancshares, there had just been an injection of new capital, and a friend had become chair and CEO. Given my background working with bank boards,…

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WRITTEN BY

Jim McAlpin

Board Member

Jim McAlpin has over thirty five years of experience in advising leaders of financial institutions and boards of directors on strategic, regulatory and corporate governance matters. His  corporate governance expertise is based on decades of being in board rooms to assist clients with  mergers and acquisitions, capital and debt issuances, strategic planning and succession planning. Jim has deep understanding of  the duties, responsibilities and fiduciary obligations of  directors and an ability  to explain these duties in plain English. A passion for Jim at this stage of his career is helping good boards become great boards through a process of learning, engagement and intentional choices. Jim currently serves on the board of Bank Director. He also serves on the boards of two mid-sized banks. He is a nationally recognized speaker at financial industry conferences and contributes regularly to publications on bank and corporate governance related topics. He is  often quoted in banking industry publications.