Credit Union Acquisitions of Community Banks: Trends and Implications
By Mike Boettcher, Director, Artisan Advisors We are seeing a growing trend in the community bank merger and acquisition space: credit unions have become more active and successful acquirers of community banks. We anticipate this trend to continue as community banks are experiencing multiple challenges in the competitive financial services environment. Liquidity is a common […]
March 30, 2026
House Passes Housing for the 21st Century Act Containing Community Bank Provisions
On February 9, the House of Representatives passed the “Housing for the 21st Century Act” by a vote of 390-9. The bill contains a number of provisions of interest to community banks, some of which are summarized below. The bill also contains several provisions affecting the resolution of failing banks and creation of new banks. Other provisions seek to incentivize greater levels of housing production and increase financing […]
February 10, 2026
February 20 Comment Deadline Approaching on OCC Community Bank CRA Strategic Plan Proposal
On December 17, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued proposed guidance intended to simplify how banks with assets of up to $30 billion may obtain approval for a CRA strategic plan. The proposal would supplement the existing guidance contained in OCC Bulletin 2019-39, “Community Reinvestment Act: Guidelines for Requesting Approval of a Strategic Plan.” Despite being available since 1995, relatively few banks use CRA […]
February 9, 2026
Building a Risk-Focused Culture: A Framework for Modern Financial Services
According to Artisan’s risk specialist, Dan Bagus: “An enterprise risk management program should serve as the rudder of the strategic planning process for every institution – large or small—and operate in service to the specific goals and objectives of the strategic plan.” Get the full white paper, “Building a Risk-Focused Culture: A Framework for Modern […]
January 7, 2026
The Artisan Advisor Q4 2025: Your Guide to Economic and Real Estate Outlook for the Upcoming Quarter
Quarterly Economic Report – Q4 2025 The Federal Reserve reported economic activity changed little on balance since the previous report, with three Districts reporting slight to modest growth in activity, five reporting no change, and four noting a slight softening. Overall consumer spending, particularly on retail goods, inched down in recent weeks, although auto […]
November 13, 2025
Understanding Opportunity Zone 2.0: Key Changes and Bank Strategies
By Barry Wides, CPA Managing Director, Artisan Advisors The recently enacted 2025 Tax and Spending Bill introduced significant changes to housing and community development programs that affect banks. This article, the second in our series, examines the bill’s revisions to the Opportunity Zone (OZ) tax incentive—now called “OZ 2.0.” Background: Opportunity Zone 1.0 The original […]
November 4, 2025
Artisan Unfiltered Podcast: BOLI Tips from a Real Pro
When is the last time you did a thorough evaluation of BOLI as an asset? If your answer is on a scale of “I don’t know to ‘What’s BOLI?’” you need to listen to this podcast. We brought in Scott Richardson – longtime friend of Artisan and THE expert in all things BOLI – to […]
September 19, 2025
Cyber Catastrophe! Coming to a Financial Institution Near You?
“Financial institutions crossed a threshold several years ago, when they became totally reliant on technology to provide nearly every service to their customers. As a result, technology vendors are literally responsible for continued operation of financial institutions,” according to Steve Heckard , Managing Director and leader of Artisan’s Core Financial Technology practice. In his white paper, “Cyber Catastrophe! […]
August 23, 2025
OCC Highlights Key Areas of Focus for Bank Examiners in Spring 2025 Semi-Annual Risk Perspective
On June 30, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released its Semi-Annual Risk Perspective (SARP), a 20-page summary of key issues impacting the federal banking system. This report outlines several supervisory issues that may be useful for banks in anticipating areas of focus during upcoming exams. Commercial Credit Risk In commercial […]
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August 18, 2025
Artisan Unfiltered Podcast: Barry Wides on OCC’s New Banking Risk Report: What Bankers Need to Know
The newest episode of Artisan Unfiltered is available! Listen now to “Barry Wides on OCC’s New Banking Risk Report: What Bankers Need to Know” to get an insider’s POV on where the banking industry is heading this year. Artisan’s newest Managing Director in our Risk Management practice, Barry joined us after 20 years as Deputy Controller […]
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August 9, 2025
The Artisan Advisor Q3 2025: Your Guide to Economic and Real Estate Outlook for the Upcoming Quarter
Quarterly Economic Report – Q3 2025 The Federal Reserve reported economic activity increased slightly from late May through early July. Five Districts reported slight or modest gains, five had flat activity, and the remaining two Districts noted modest declines in activity. That represented an improvement over the previous report, in which half of the Districts […]
July 29, 2025
Congress Expands Community Development Investment Opportunities for Banks
New Provisions in the 2025 Tax and Spending Bill, Plus Pending Legislation, Poise Banks to Deepen CRA-Eligible Investments By Barry Wides, CPA Managing Director, Artisan-Advisors Several provisions in the recently enacted 2025 Tax and Spending Bill (Public Law 119-21) will significantly broaden community development investment options for banks under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). This […]
July 28, 2025