Karen Epper Hoffman

Karen Epper Hoffman has been writing about banking and technology issues for nearly a quarter of a century for publications including American Banker, Bloomberg Businessweek and Financial Times’ The Banker. She has also spoken and moderated panels at industry conferences.

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Outside what box? What happens when smart women tackle tough InfoSec challenges

Jan 17, 2017

By Karen Epper Hoffman
Editor’s note: In the second of a two-part series, BAI Banking Strategies Online retraces the steps taken by three female InfoSec executives that led to industry success. To read the first part, click here. Working as […]
Consumer Banking / DEI & ESG / Technology
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InfoSec superstars: How three women broke barriers in banking and security

Jan 13, 2017

By Karen Epper Hoffman
Editor’s note: In the first of a two-part series, BAI Banking Strategies Online retraces the steps taken by three female InfoSec executives that led to industry success. When it comes to shattering glass ceilings across all […]
Consumer Banking / DEI & ESG / Talent & Workforce Management / Technology
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Article

Thinking about the Internet of Things

Nov 14, 2016

By Karen Epper Hoffman
By networking devices such as appliances, vehicles and mobile watches, the Internet of Things holds the promise of a banking revolution—one that ups the ante on convenience, connectedness and customer satisfaction. (See part one of this […]
Technology
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Article

The Internet of Things to come

Nov 11, 2016

By Karen Epper Hoffman
Banks always seek to better connect with their customers. But the idea, say, of a coffee pot talking to a refrigerator, which links to a bank server, which chats up your car, which rings your smartphone, […]
Technology
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Article

Instant (issuance) gratification

Oct 24, 2016

By Karen Epper Hoffman
Diapers. Pizzas. Ugly sweaters with reindeer on them, just in time for the winter holidays. Today’s consumers expect to order just about any item online in seconds and have it delivered to their house within hours. […]
Payments
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Reaching for your (mobile) wallet

Aug 23, 2016

By Karen Epper Hoffman
When people reach for their wallets, increasingly it’s not the conventional leather cash-and-card holder they are pulling out, but their smartphone. Mobile wallet applications, which store payment credentials and information, are beginning to snowball in popularity, after a few false starts...
Digital Banking

Article

Hiring Bankers Who Can Sell

Oct 24, 2014

By Karen Epper Hoffman
With banks increasingly underscoring the importance of sales, more institutions are rethinking how they identify, attract, hire and retain the next generation of employees required to handle the expectations and needs of consumers, say panelists at […]
Marketing & Sales

Article

Making Faster Payments a Reality

Mar 4, 2014

By Karen Epper Hoffman
In this fast-paced, highly mobile, Internet-everywhere world, it’s not surprising that U.S. consumers and businesses have come to expect their transactions to post in real time. And soon, industry insiders say, they might finally get their […]
Payments
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Article

Accelerating the Efficiency Engine

Feb 4, 2014

By Karen Epper Hoffman
A new year is time for new resolutions. And for many banks, that means resolving to make their operations run leaner and better, at less expense. But that’s easier said than done, as many banks this […]
Compliance, Regulation & Risk / Consumer Banking / Technology

Article

Optimizing Branch Staffing for Sales

Oct 8, 2013

By Karen Epper Hoffman
It’s an old problem in banking but one that is hitting home now with increasing urgency: how do you boost sales in the branches? Part of the answer involves changing the roles and responsibilities of the […]
Consumer Banking / Customer Experience
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Article

A Universal Staffing Mix

Aug 26, 2013

By Karen Epper Hoffman
As the traditional bank branch shrinks or even disappears in coming years, what becomes of branch staffing models? “The short answer is that everybody is making things work more efficiently and to improve engagement with the […]
Consumer Banking / Talent & Workforce Management
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Branding the Branch, Digitally

Apr 8, 2013

By Karen Epper Hoffman
Banks nowadays can connect digitally with customers online, on their mobile phone, even on their Twitter or Facebook feed. But, for many banks big and small, that’s still not enough. Their digital messaging needs to extend […]
Consumer Banking / Customer Experience / Marketing & Sales
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Article

Turning Inside Out with Outsourcing

Nov 26, 2012

By Karen Epper Hoffman
Outsourcing is no stranger to big bank IT chiefs, who long ago shifted from the view that they needed to build important technology systems in-house. The recent financial crisis, however, appears to have accelerated the trend […]
Compliance, Regulation & Risk / Technology

Article

Breaking New Ground with Innovation

Sep 28, 2012

By Karen Epper Hoffman
For the eight finalists of the 2012 BAI-Finacle Global Banking Innovation Awards, innovation means breaking outside of banking’s traditional product, services and channel categories and sometimes even pioneering game-changing or “disruptive” technologies. Below are short profiles […]
Technology
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Article

Youth-Oriented Marketing, Frankly Speaking

Nov 8, 2011

By Karen Epper Hoffman
When Singapore-based OCBC Bank decided it needed to more aggressively pursue the large and growing young adult market in that country, it took what it would call a very “frank” approach to reaching this audience. Rather than offer one product...
Consumer Banking / Marketing & Sales
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Article

Multiple Paths to Mobile Acceptance

Oct 31, 2011

By Karen Epper Hoffman
When it comes to mobile banking offerings, banks cannot afford to be a one-trick pony in supporting just one modality or mobile platform, according to speakers at the recent BAI Retail Delivery event in Chicago. “I […]
Consumer Banking / Digital Banking / Technology
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Article

Cost-Cutting Tips for Revenue-Squeezed Bankers

Jul 26, 2011

By Karen Epper Hoffman
Faced with a slow-growth economy and shrinking revenues, bank managers are pulling the only lever they have left: expense control. Rather than looking to massive across-the-board cuts to boost returns, most financial companies are seeking to […]
Compliance, Regulation & Risk / Talent & Workforce Management
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Article

On the Alert for Mobile Alerts

Mar 10, 2011

By Karen Epper Hoffman
Mobile banking alerts are becoming more popular as banks put more muscle behind marketing and expanded offerings. The most popular alerts right now tend to be ones that help customers keep on top of their balances. Bankers and analysts say...
Consumer Banking / Digital Banking