Phil English

Article

Kabbage for Online Credit Advances

Mar 5, 2013

By Phil English
For the moment, Kabbage Inc. is only a blip on the radar screen of banks that specialize in small business banking. The Atlanta-based alternative online lender, three years old and funded by venture capital, currently has about […]
Business Banking / Digital Banking / Technology

Article

Small Business Still the Charm

Aug 1, 2012

By Phil English
Community banks are struggling in many areas of the country and there’s been much industry commentary on how this category of financial institution will have a difficult time competing with larger banks in the future. But […]
Business Banking / Consumer Banking
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Article

Crowdsourcing the Credit Card

Jun 19, 2012

By Phil English
Can “crowdsourcing” work in credit cards? UK-based Barclays Bank is trying to find out with its new Barclaycard Ring card. The idea is that cardholders can vote on features for the card, which was rolled out […]
Consumer Banking / Customer Experience / Technology

Article

Twitter Chat for Customer Service

Jun 13, 2012

By Phil English
Ask the typical banker about his company’s social media strategy and you’re likely to be met with a shifting glance and nervous cough. The simple fact is, most financial institutions are still grappling with how to […]
Consumer Banking / Digital Banking / Marketing & Sales / Technology

Article

Marketing to Women at Citibank

May 30, 2012

By Phil English
Customer segmentation is a key element of bank marketing these days as companies search for growth in a slow-growth economy. New York City-based Citigroup, for example, has long been focused on women as a segment, maintaining […]
Consumer Banking / Marketing & Sales

Article

Serving Small Business with Treasury Management

Sep 21, 2011

By Phil English
In today’s sluggish economy, small businesses have not been showing much appetite for taking out loans, although there have been recent signs of a thaw. This provides a challenge for bankers seeking to build their small […]
Business Banking / Compliance, Regulation & Risk / Consumer Banking

Article

A Community Bank’s Differentiation Strategy

Aug 2, 2011

By Phil English
Life is not easy for community banks these days. Like the rest of the industry, they struggle with increased regulatory burdens and costs while dealing with the added disadvantage of competing with larger national and regional […]
Consumer Banking / Technology
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Article

From Customer Satisfaction to ‘Happiness’

Jun 29, 2011

By Phil English
To the banking institutions that spend millions of dollars every year in the pursuit of satisfying customers, Jeffrey VanDeVelde has a bold statement to make – you’ve got it all wrong. VanDeVelde, director of client experience and […]
Consumer Banking / Customer Experience / Marketing & Sales
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Article

The Choice of Banking Green

Apr 29, 2011

By Phil English
In 2008, Jon Levey and Steve Sherman, both former LaSalle Bank lenders, and Steve’s father Harold Sherman, a long-time Chicago-area community banker, began pursuing a dream to develop a community bank that would re-shape how banking […]
Consumer Banking / Marketing & Sales
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Article

Getting Small Business Banking Right

Mar 29, 2011

By Phil English
While employment, manufacturing and retail indicators appear to point to an economic recovery, there remains a disturbing trend amongst America’s small business owners. As the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) recently stated in a report: […]
Business Banking / Consumer Banking