Agenda

Tuesday, March 26

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Wednesday, March 27

The panel of industry experts will discuss how banks are managing the risks arising from social media panic creating an old-fashioned run on the banks, using the Silicon Valley Bank example.  In particular, the panel will focus on the nature of the risks (capital, liquidity, strategic and reputation) for mid-sized banks, how the successor to SVB addressed those risks following the merger, and practical strategies for effectively mitigating the effects of adverse social media posts from a crisis communications standpoint.

Josh Almond will talk with Matt Martin, Chief Counsel & Corporate Secretary at First Citizens Bank, about the issues he is facing as GC, no doubt touching upon First Citizens’ purchase and integration of Silicon Valley Bank. Before joining First Citizens, Martin served as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina. Martin has also served as Associate General Counsel of Duke Energy, a partner at Smith Anderson in Raleigh, after beginning his legal career in Washington, D.C. with Covington & Burling.

Federal regulators are proposing significant regulatory changes, including increasing capital requirements as part of the BASEL III end game resulting from the 2008 financial crisis, increasing liquidity requirements and enhancing their examinations as a result of runs at Silicon Valley and Signature Banks.  Are regulators fighting the last war to prevent history from repeating itself or will such new regulatory burdens ignore embers that could ignite a new crisis?

This panel will discuss the latest developments in bank payments, including the launch of instant payment systems, such as FedNow and The Clearing House’s RTP® network, as well as the rise in the use of P2P, B2B, and R2P payment mechanisms. What regulatory issues do these developments raise?  How are these issues affected by the growth in fintech partnerships, banking as a service (BaaS). and open banking?  And, what new regulatory complications do these arrangements trigger?

The opportunity to mix and mingle with the participants, including the program speakers and the law students who produced the North Carolina Banking Institute journal is always a highlight of the Banking Institute.

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Thursday, March 28

Risk management and governance will continue to play a critical role in the ongoing evolution of the use of technology by financial services firms. This panel will address the latest developments including AI tools and usage, diligence expectations, as well as operational, model and third party risk. Additional challenges of accuracy, bias, copyright, privacy and security issues will be discussed.      

Kacie England will talk with Mitria Spotser, Vice President and Federal Policy Director for the Center for Responsible Lending, about the future of affirmative lending programs for those in populations based on protected characteristics in the light of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Students for Fair Admissions case. They will explore alternatives that consider programs for first-generation homeowners that might help achieve financial fairness.

The Clifford Distinguished Lecture on Consumer Law was established by the UNC School of Law and friends following Professor Clifford’s death. Donald Clifford was the Aubrey L. Brooks Professor and served as a faculty member of Carolina Law from 1964 to 2004, specializing in commercial and consumer law.  He founded the law school’s very successful Festival of Legal Learning and served as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Center for Banking and Finance.

The panel will discuss how exiting the prior “zero interest rate” environment and operating in today’s market have presented new regulatory and commercial risks for capital markets and investment banking. The panel will consider how regulators and the market are thinking about competition for deposits, credit risk on existing loan portfolios, new requirements for new loans, securitizations and hidden losses on balance sheets of customers and their financial institutions in this new interest rate environment.  

Lauren Pless will talk with Greg Baer President and Chief Executive Officer at The Bank Policy Institute, a nonpartisan public policy, research, and advocacy group, representing the nation’s leading banks. Greg and Lauren will explore some of the most important issues on BPI’s radar as it works to shape policy to allow the nation’s leading banks to best serve their customers and fulfill their vital economic role while holding sufficient capital and liquidity to ensure that the risks they take are borne by their shareholders and creditors, and not the taxpayer.

In the Beischer Challenge, George and Susan Beischer agreed to match up to $1 million of gifts and pledges to the Center for Banking and Finance. The gift was completed in 2011. In honor of this transformative gift to the Center, its board of advisors voted to name the after-dinner address at the annual Banking Institute in honor of the Beischers. We are pleased that the Beischer Address is an annual opportunity to honor the memory of George and Susan and remember their generosity.