Watering Holes Research – Commercial Bankers

Delivered February 7th, 2018. Contributors: Sara F., Paisley S., Katrina R. and

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Chief Sales Officer in Commercial Lending - Watering Holes

The most prominent conferences attended by commercial lending Chief Sales Officers are BankOnPurpose and the ABA Bank Marketing Conference. In terms of influencers, the most notable figures were Jack Welch, Mark Cuban, and Ray Dalio. The Commercial Lending Forum, Global CIT Network Group, and the CXO Community groups were the most popular LinkedIn groups. The ABA Bank Marketing, ABA Journal, Harvard Business Review, and CSO Insights were among the frequently mentioned websites or blogs, while the Purposeful Banker podcast offers insights specifically for commercial banking CSOs.

CONFERENCES
While most commercial banking conferences are more general in their focus, the following two conferences specifically focus on the sales or marketing aspect of commercial banking.

 BankOnPurpose is a global conference focused on commercial banking and winning over new customers. 

The annual ABA Bank Marketing Conference is touted as the "industry's flagship conference for bank marketers." It is aimed at senior bank sales and marketing professionals and C-suite officers.

GROUPS
After visiting the LinkedIn profiles of numerous commercial lending CSOs, the following groups were frequently listed among their group affiliations.

 Commercial Lending Forum offers market insight, commercial lending product updates, market conditions and more.

The Global CIT Network Group appeared in numerous LinkedIn profiles, though the private group offers no group description.

The CXO (CEO, COO, CKO, CFO, CIO, CPO, CMO, CAO, CVO, CDO, CRO, CLO, CSO & CTO) Community is another LinkedIn group popular with commercial lending CSOs. In addition, the Sales Management Executives and Sales Playbook groups are popular.

WEBSITES, BLOGS, AND PODCASTS
The ABA Bank Marketing website offers articles and information regarding the sales and marketing of banks, including the commercial lending sector.

While not specific to the banking sector, Harvard Business Review is frequently cited by CSOs as a go-to source for information.

The ABA Banking Journal website, as well as its Newsbytes podcast, offer insights for CSOs, as well as other commercial banking executives.

The Precision Lender offers the Purposeful Banker podcast, which focus on sales strategies for commercial bankers. This podcast came up in almost every search I conducted relating to the commercial banking sales sector.

While not specific to banking, CSO Insights is a go-to source for "improving the performance and productivity of complex B2B sales." 

INFLUENCERS
Again, looking at LinkedIn profiles for commercial lending CSOs provided some insights into the influencers they seek out to stay informed and inspired. While the influencers identified are not all necessarily in the banking sector, they showed up repeatedly in profiles.

 Jack Welch, Executive Chair of the Jack Welch Management Institute, was frequently listed as a go-to influencer among CSOs. His Twitter account has nearly 1.5 million followers.

Mark Cuban, while not specifically associated with the banking sector, appeared frequently among noted influencers. His Twitter account has nearly 8 million followers, and nearly 1.4 million follow his Facebook account.

Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "Principles," also appears prominently among the notable CSO influencers. His Twitter account has 118,000 followers, while his Facebook page has 81,600 followers.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, commercial lending Chief Sales Officers attend the BankOnPurpose and the ABA Bank Marketing Conference, and they appreciate the insights of influencers such as Jack Welch, Mark Cuban, and Ray Dalio. Popular LinkedIn groups include Commercial Lending Forum, Global CIT Network Group, and the CXO Community groups, while noted websites and blogs include ABA Bank Marketing, ABA Journal, Harvard Business Review, and CSO Insights. The Purposeful Banker podcast offers insights specifically for commercial banking sales and marketing professionals.

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Chief Product Officer in Commercial Lending - Watering Holes

Three business associations holding conferences for Chief Product Officers in Commercial Lending are Information Management Network, American Financial Services Association, and American Bankers Association. American Financial Services Association, Community Financial Services Association of America, Lending Times, Bloomfield Capital, C-Loans.com, American Bankers Association, and Feedspot all have blogs and/or newsletters about Commercial Lending. There are 25 top social media personalities that would be useful for CPO's to follow, the top 3 being Dave Ramsey, Robert T. Kiyosaki, and Suze Orman.

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
There are various conferences held for the purpose of Chief Product Officers in Commercial Lending to network, discuss issues, and work towards expanding the industry. Information Management Network hosts a popular annual conference called Bank Special Assets & Credit Officer's Forum where CPO's in Commercial Lending can meet and discuss the latest issues. American Financial Services Association will hold a variety of conferences for CPO's this year, including 2018 Vehicle Finance Conference and Exposition, National Title Solutions Forum Committee, 2018 Independents Conference & Exposition, 2018 Credit Summit for Fixed Income Investors, 2018 State Government Affairs & Legal Issues Forum (hosted with National Association of Consumer Credit Administrators) and 2018 State Government Affairs & Legal Issues Forum (hosted with NACCA) and 2018 AFSA Annual Meeting. American Bankers Association Real Estate Lending Conference is another conference for CPO's in residential and commercial real estate. 

INDUSTRY NEWSLETTERS/BLOGS/WEBSITES
There are many websites that offer newsletters and blogs on various Commercial Lending topics that would be of interest to CPO's. American Financial Services Association is the foremost trade association for the credit lenders industry. They provide information to the government at the state and federal level and shape policy and the future of the industry. AFSA also has a popular newsletter. Another national organization focused on the credit industry is the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA). CFSA is more focused on the regulations of smaller, personal, short-term loans to protect consumers. They create newsletters to advise CPO's about current market trends and issues. Lending Times is a leader in tracking business to business lending. LT writes a daily blog favored by many CPO's to analyze the market, regulations, and changes. Bloomfield Capital specializes in the financing of commercial real estate. They have a blog to keep CPO's informed of trends in the industry. C-Loans.com has a blog that is followed by 750 commercial lenders and offers current information about Commercial Lending. American Bankers Association's Centre for Commercial Lending & Business Banking provides a variety of newsletters on various topics designed to improve banks' Commercial Lending programs. Feedspot features the 100 most popular blogs about mortgages, which are a huge part of the Commercial Lending industry.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Here are the 25 most followed financial contributors on social media. 
1)	Dave Ramsey
2)	Robert T. Kiyosaki
3)	Suze Orman
4)	Josh Brown
5)	Clark Howard
6)	Alan Krueger
7)	Mr. Money Mustache
8)	Jason Zweig
9)	Barry Ritholtz
10)	Todd Duncan
11)	Lauren Young 
12)	Charles Passy
13)	Blake Ellis
14)	Carl Richards 
15)	Zain Asher
16)	Jose Pagliery
17)	Michelle Singletary
18)	Ben Carlson
19)	Jean Chatzky
20)	Tara Siegel Bernard
21)	Karen Damato
22)	Jesse Eisinger 
23)	Ron Lieber
24)	Tracy Shannon Levey
25)	Natali Morris

With 19,688 followers, including some of the top executives, LendingClub on LinkedIn is the best group for Commerical Lending CPO's to participate in.

CONCLUSION
Information Management Network, American Financial Services Association, and American Bankers Association all host Commercial Lending conferences for CPO's. Commercial Lending newsletters and/or blogs are written by American Financial Services Association, Community Financial Services Association of America, Lending Times, Bloomfield Capital, C-Loans.com, American Bankers Association, and Feedspot. Social media contains many useful financial experts including Dave Ramsey, Robert T. Kiyosaki, and Suze Orman on Facebook and Twitter and the LendingClub group on LinkedIn.

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Chief Loan Officer in Commercial Lending - Watering Holes

One of the main events for Chief Loan Officers is The CU Leadership Convention, which has run for 40 years. Most Chief Loan Officers and other credit professionals subscribe to magazines and newsletters such as CreditMantra and the CRF's Credit Assistant website for resources. Top industry influencers include Brett King, Chris Skinner, and Jim Marous, among others. 
CONFERENCES AND EVENTS There is a multitude of conferences and events in the financial services market sector. I have selected the most relevant events to commercial lending banks and CLOs. Events specifically target towards CLOs in commercial lending banks are few and far between, as such some events with a slightly broader scope of interest have been included. 

• The CU Leadership Convention:
This is an annual event targeted towards CLOs among many others ("Directors, Chairs, CEOs, CMOs, CFOs, CTOs, CHRs, COOs"), currently on the 41st edition. Although this event is not exclusively targeted at CLOs, it is an extremely well-known event that attracts a large pool of CLOs year-on-year. 

• The Lenders and Credit Officers Conference: 
Another annual event, this conference is in their 30th edition. This is a well-established event that's specifically targeted towards CLOs. The event features appearances from "regulators, economists and inspiring speakers" as well as the opportunity to network with other CLOs. 

• The Community Bankers Conference:
This annual conference event has been running for 7 years to date. The event is targeted towards banking executives and business management, something which should be of high interest to CLO's in commercial lending banks. 

• The "Bank Special Assets & Credit Officer's Forum": 
The annual meeting is currently running for the 7th year, where professionals in "Special Assets, SBA, Credit, Loan Review, Risk Management, Special Services & C-level executives" are encouraged to meet. This networking event attracts CLOs from not only national banks but internationally too.

• Credit Professionals International: 
This is an event that's specifically aligned to credit professionals, as the name suggests. With an international reach, this U.S. event is a hub for networking, career development, and community involvement among CLOs. 
INDUSTRY NEWSLETTERSThere is a multitude of industry newsletters highly relevant to CLOs in commercial lending banks. I have compiled a listing of those deemed most relevant to CLOs or that are held in high-regard by identifiable CLOs in banking. This list includes a wide variety of industry hubs including newsletters, resource sites, magazines, and online forums. These miscellaneous findings have been included as they offer a deeper understanding of areas that CLOs will gravitate to, and in turn, may be reached online. 

• BankNews: a newsletter of any and all banking press-releases or otherwise of note to professionals.
• Business Credit: a magazine featuring "information about educational events, features, coverage, international articles, and in-depth analysis".
• Credit Today: an online portal with resources and a community of credit executives.
• CreditMantra: a newsletter published quarterly to highlight the most important information for credit professionals.
• Amega Education Center: a collection of resources for finance professionals, including "relevant articles, bankruptcy and trade receivable statistics, country risk reports, financial formulas, and much more"
• Credit Worthy: a website that provides a variety of free articles and newsletters for credit professionals.
• CRF's Credit Assistant: a wealth of resources for credit professionals including "articles, resources, and guidelines for credit and accounts receivable management".
• SEC — EDGAR: a government resource for credit professionals that provides items such as "public company filings, SEC forms, and SIC codes".
• The "Association of Credit and Collection Professionals": a compilation of important press-releases and publications relevant to CLOs working in the United States and worldwide. 
INFLUENCERSAn array of influencers can be found in this market segment, primarily in market professionals. Most often, these influencers reach their audience via Twitter. The majority offer advice online, and many have books published in regard to their personal achievements. Below I will list each identified influencer as well as relevant resources with which they connect to CLOs. 

• Brett King: 
King is an outspoken figure in the world of credit professionals. He currently hosts a radio show called Breaking Banks Radio as well as his pre-existing status as a best-selling author. As well as his radio show, King can be seen on his Twitter. 

• Chris Skinner: 
Skinner is a well-known author boasting a total of 14 books including 1 bestseller Digital Bank (along with the sequel ValueWeb). He also sees great appraise as "an independent commentator on the financial markets and fintech". Skinner can be found on Twitter as well as in daily blog updates. 

• Jim Marous: 
Marous is best known as the "Co-publisher of The Financial Brand" and "owner and publisher of the Digital Banking Report". Oftentimes, Marous is named as one of the most influential people in banking. Marous reaches his audience through Twitter. 

• Ron Shevlin: 
Shevlin currently holds the position of "director of research at cornerstone advisors", where he primarily works on research projects into retail banking products and services. Shelvin's Twitter is his main point of contact with his audience. 

• Bradley Leimer: 
Leimer is best described as "an outspoken writer and speaker about banking and technology trends". He will often give advice to start-ups and appear at conferences. Leimer's Twitter is his main form of contact with his audience. 

• JP Nicols: 
Nicols is often regarded as a leadership figure for "innovation, strategy, and leadership" in the financial services industry. He will often appear in international listings as an "influencer and thought leader". Nicols reaches his audience through Twitter and his personal blog. 
CONCLUSIONWe have searched exhaustively through all types of watering holes for CLOs and were able to isolate some of the more influencial people holding that position. A few examples are Brett King, Chris Skinner, Jim Marous, Ron Shevlin, Bradley Leimer, and JP Nicols. Moreover, CLOs subscribe to magazines such as BankNews, Business Credit, CreditMantra, and Credit Worthy. CLOs are also very likely to attend the Credit Professionals International or the Lenders and Credit Officers Conference, as those two conferences were specifically designed to increase networking between prominent CLOs.