“The person who figures out how to harness the collective genius of his or her organization is going to blow the competition away.”
–Walter Wriston

As Chief Executive Officer of Community Sample Bank, you are reviewing your 2006 strategic initiatives. Among them is a mandate to double the number of products that you offer your current customer base. Your recent efforts to cross-sell products into your largely consumer-based market have been gaining momentum, and it’s now typical to see customer relationships—that started via a new mortgage—include deposit and investment products offered by your institution. While these are favorable developments, you still face the daunting task of taking the current “share-of-wallet” level from four products to eight. More >

Amortizing Advances In the current interest-rate environment, our customers’ margins are being squeezed—more and more everyday—and the all-important “net interest spread” is harder and harder to come by. Since margins are the key driver of financial performance for most financial institutions, it’s no wonder to us that our customers are working diligently to maintain their margins—by improving their yields on earning assets and/or reducing the cost of interest bearing liabilities. More >

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER, PLEASE READ: The Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle ("Seattle Bank") publishes What Counts for educational and promotional purposes only. The data and analysis presented are based upon information obtained from sources that we consider reliable. The opinions expressed represent the current opinions of our staff and are subject to change without notice. We make no warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of any information, analysis, or opinions presented. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the Seattle Bank. The Seattle Bank, its employees, agents, and contractors are not registered investment advisors, financial advisors, or broker dealers, and they are not acting in a fiduciary capacity. The information contained in this newsletter does not constitute a recommendation, offer to sell, or solicitation of an offer to purchase any particular investments or products, including without limitation securities of any companies discussed, and it should not be construed as such. It is the reader’s responsibility to evaluate the suitability, risks, and merits of any investment, funding strategy, or business proposal presented in this newsletter. Newsletter content is for our readers' informational purposes only. Please refer to our Terms of Use for details.