Raddon Report

It’s good to have 2020 in the rearview mirror.

Raddon will provide more detailed predictions for 2021 in an upcoming Raddon Report, but suffice it to say we don’t work from a crystal ball. For 2020, we did not predict a pandemic, a 31 percent decline in GDP in second quarter and a 33 percent growth figure for GDP in the third quarter. Yes, it’s fair to say we’re all glad to have 2020 behind us.

By Lynne Cornelison and Greg Ulankiewicz

For years, “tap-and-pay” cards were a solution looking for a problem. COVID-19 has provided that problem, and contactless cards are finally having their day in the sun. Financial institutions that had not or only partially issued contactless cards prior to the pandemic were suddenly asking themselves: “Do we invest in a rapid rollout of contactless cards to all our accountholders, or will the utility of a more hygienic purchase experience fade among consumers if and when the pandemic is contained?”

The twin storms of the pandemic and the falling rate environment have pushed millennials to seek higher deposit yields. This heightened rate sensitivity causes a dilemma for institutions seeking to retain deposits while managing margins.

In the current pandemic environment, what are the keys to maintaining high performance for your organization? To help answer this question, let’s look at the some of the key characteristics of high-performing financial institutions and which of their traits are most critical right now.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently downgraded its global economic growth predictions for 2021 due to the deeper, negative impact COVID-19 has had during the first half of 2020, as well as the slower recovery rate in the second half of this year as previously predicted. In the report, the IMF emphasized how abnormally large the uncertainties surrounding their predictions are due to the lack of clarity regarding the health crisis.

It is strategic planning season again, and after the year we’ve had, there’s a lot to think about as financial institutions navigate ways to drive future growth. For many organizations, strategic planning will be conducted virtually in some form or another. Some may have portions of their team in one room, socially distancing and wearing masks, while other team members connect virtually. Other institutions will have everyone dialing in remotely.

As we move into the fourth quarter of an unforgettable year that many of us would prefer to forget, I’m often asked to provide a prognosis on what economic recovery will look like. Will the recovery of which we are in the beginning phases be shaped like an “L”, like a “V”, like a “W”, like the Nike “swoosh”, or even the newest shape, the letter “K”? First, a review of what these various letters imply for recovery.

By: Marcy Scanlin, Strategic Advisor, and Jan Trifts, Strategic Advisor

When Benjamin Franklin said, “Out of adversity comes opportunity,” he couldn’t have foreseen how a highly contagious virus could substantially halt the economy in the country he helped found.

Fortunately, banks and credit unions worked alongside businesses to turn the opportunity presented by the federal government’s pandemic-era funding into a lifeline for many employers and their employees.

Financial institutions navigated significant change in a short time to continue serving consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. As markets begin opening in varying degrees, financial leaders are thinking about how to sustainably move forward in this new environment. Millennial and Gen Z research suggests the most trusted and authentic brands will survive.