Bank Director Releases 2022 Risk Survey Results

BRENTWOOD, TENN., Mar. 29, 2022 – Bank Director, the leading information resource for directors and officers of financial institutions nationwide, today released its 2022 Risk Survey, sponsored by Moss Adams LLP. The findings reveal a high level of anxiety about interest rate risk as well as a lack of awareness in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) space.

The 2022 Risk Survey finds that the majority of responding directors, CEOs, chief risk officers and other senior bank executives are more concerned about interest rate risk compared to the previous year. Why? While interest rate increases – kicked off with a quarter-point hike announced by the Federal Reserve earlier this month – would ease pressures on bank net interest margins, they could also dampen loan demand and slow economic growth. When asked about the ideal scenario for their institution, almost three-quarters of survey respondents say they’d like to see a moderate rise in rates in 2022, by no more than one point. That’s significantly less than the 1.9% expected from the Fed by the end of the year.

“Finding the balance between an increase in rates without a decrease in the volume of lending can be an art form,” says Craig Sanders, partner at Moss Adams. “Banks with more diverse loan portfolios and those that made the right bets regarding loan terms will be better positioned to adapt to the new, ever-changing environment.”

Findings also reveal that more than half of the respondents’ banks don’t yet focus on ESG issues in a comprehensive manner, and just 6% describe their ESG program as mature enough to publish a disclosure of their progress.

“While we see a handful of primarily larger, public banks focused on ESG, it’s a broad issue that touches on several areas important to community banking, including community and employee engagement, risk management and data privacy, and corporate governance,” says Emily McCormick, vice president of research at Bank Director. “The survey finds banks setting goals in these distinct spheres when it comes to ESG, despite a lack of formal programs or initiatives.”

Key Findings Also Include:

Top Risks
Respondents also reveal increased anxiety about cybersecurity, with 93% saying that their concerns have increased somewhat or significantly over the past year. Along with interest rate risk, regulatory risk (72%) and compliance (65%) round out the top risks. One responding CRO expresses specific concern about “heightened regulatory expectations” around overdraft fees, fair lending and redlining, as well as rulemaking from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau around the collection of small business lending data.

Enhancing Cybersecurity Oversight
Most indicate that their bank conducted a cybersecurity assessment over the past year, with 61% using the Cybersecurity Assessment Tool offered by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) in combination with other methodologies. While 83% report that their program is more mature compared to their previous assessment, there’s still room to improve, particularly in training bank staff (83%) and using technology to better detect and/or deter cyber threats and intrusions (64%). Respondents report a median budget of $200,000 for cybersecurity expenses in fiscal year 2022, matching last year’s survey.

Setting ESG Goals
While most banks lack a comprehensive ESG program, more than half say their bank set goals and objectives in several discrete areas: employee development (68%), community needs, investment and/or volunteerism (63%), risk management processes and risk governance (61%), employee engagement (59%), and data privacy and information security (56%).

Protecting Staff
More than 80% of respondents say at least some employees work remotely for at least a portion of their work week, an indicator of how business continuity plans have evolved: 44% identify formalizing remote work procedures and policies as a gap in their business continuity planning, down significantly compared to last year’s survey (77%). Further, banks continue to take a carrot approach to vaccinations and boosters, with most encouraging rather than requiring their use. Thirty-nine percent require, and 31% encourage, employees to disclose their vaccination status.

Climate Change Gaps
Sixteen percent say their board discusses climate change annually – a subtle increase compared to last year’s survey. While 60% indicate that their board and senior leadership team understand the physical risks to their bank as a result of more frequent severe weather events, less than half understand the transition risks tied to shifts in preferences or reduced demand for products and services as the economy adapts.

The survey includes the views of 222 directors, CEOs, chief risk officers and other senior executives of U.S. banks below $100 billion in assets. Full survey results are now available online at BankDirector.com.

About Bank Director
Bank Director reaches the leaders of the institutions that comprise America’s banking industry. Since 1991, Bank Director has provided board-level research, peer-insights and in-depth executive and board services. Built for banks, Bank Director extends into and beyond the boardroom by providing timely and relevant information through Bank Director magazine, board training services and the financial industry’s premier event, Acquire or Be Acquired. For more information, please visit BankDirector.com.

About Moss Adams LLP
With more than 3,800 professionals across 30-plus locations, Moss Adams provides the world’s most innovative companies with specialized accounting, tax, and consulting services to help them embrace emerging opportunity. We serve over 400 banks and other financial institutions in all stages of the growth cycle helping our clients navigate an evolving regulatory environment, maintain profitability, and manage risk throughout each phase of their business’s growth. Discover how Moss Adams is bringing more West to business. For more information visit www.mossadams.com/fs.

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For more information, please contact Bank Director’s Director of Marketing, Deahna Welcher, at [email protected].