Elizabeth Judd
Elizabeth Judd is a New Jersey writer with a concentration in financial services, business and technology.
Articles by Elizabeth Judd
Fintech Partnerships for Community Banks: Due Diligence, Contracts & ROI
Learn how to choose a fintech partner for community banks—and why bank fintech partnerships fail. Explore a practical fintech partnership due diligence checklist, core banking system fintech integration tips, contract best practices, customer data ownership, and third-party risk management banking expectations to help bank-fintech relationships succeed.
Behind Mercantile Bank's Payroll and HR Solution
After struggling to manage its own payroll and human resources needs, Mercantile Bank built an innovative solution that’s now used by business customers and non-customers alike.
How to Maximize Your Community Bank's Core Capabilities
Learn how community banks can maximize core processing capabilities to avoid a disruptive core conversion. Discover optimization reviews and vendor strategies.
What is the STARC Framework for Bank-Fintech Risk Management?
STARC offers a standardized framework to help community banks assess fintech partners. Learn how the new CFES assessment identifies compliance gaps across BSA/AML, operations and third-party risk management.
Drive Efficiency With These 9 Back Office Upgrades
Much of a community bank’s technical success starts behind the curtain: in the back office. By optimizing this area of operations, a bank can run like a well-oiled machine.
Marketing Personalization Is More Than Adding Names to Emails
The advent of data-focused, personalized marketing has opened up doors to deeper customer relationships for community banks.
Kick Lending Up a Notch With Digital Solutions
Increased efficiency and fewer errors are just two of the benefits of digitalizing your loan production process.
How to Balance Human and Machine While Using Chatbots
Community banks’ reputations are built on personal connection. But with an effective chatbot, banks can free up staff to focus on customers’ more complex needs. It just takes effective training.
The Importance of Change Management at Community Banks
As new technology and solutions ebb and flow, community bankers have to manage the change that comes with them. While change can be hard, offering a hand and lending an ear can ease the transition.
Community Banks' Best Defense Against Ransomware
Ransomware incidents are skyrocketing, and while banks are less likely to be hit, that doesn’t mean they can rest on their laurels. Constant vigilance is key.
Build a Better Board-Succession Process
As customer requirements evolve, a forward-thinking community bank board of directors is critical. Two community bankers explain how they set their boards up for success.
What's the Future of Ag Lending?
As technology evolves, so do the needs of farmers. From cloud usage to digital lending solutions, ag lending experts explain how community banks can best support their farming clientele.
Efficiency now: 8 smart strategy tips
Fallout from recent global events presents an obstacle to generating revenue for community banks. How can they counteract these effects and maximize financial efficiency? As we enter budgeting season, the answers might be found in a mix of strategies.
The DIY banking services customers expect
Prompted by the pandemic, DIY banking service offerings have grown quickly. And as consumers—especially Gen Z and millennials—continue calling for more mobile options, community banks are stepping forward with new innovations and tech partnerships.
Why community banks should partner with fintechs
With consumer expectations seeming to evolve faster every year, community banks could consider partnering with a fintech to keep up with technological innovation.
De novos in the time of COVID
The 2008 financial crisis kept the number of de novos low for years but had started to rebound. Then, the pandemic happened. Today, de novos and beginner banks face a unique set of challenges and opportunities while launching their financial institutions.
Could apps improve your customers’ financial health?
Fintech-developed apps that help customers manage their finances are looking to partner with community banks to help them reach new customers and deepen existing relationships.
10 mobile lending UX best practices
The easier and more intuitive your mobile lending platform is to use, the more high-quality loan applications you’ll receive.
How to build the board your bank needs
Board succession planning is important for all banks, but getting the right board members is crucial—and complicated—for larger banks. Here’s how several community banks approached the tall task of preparing their boards for change.
Timeline: 180 years of banking technology
A look at the history of retail banking technology—and where it’s going.
How Community Banks Can Navigate Today's Risk Landscape
From AI vulnerabilities to deepfakes, discover seven key risk areas every community bank should monitor, plus expert strategies to stay protected and on track.
How Community Banks Can Modernize Their Tech Stack
AI is reshaping banking tech needs daily. Learn how community banks are balancing adoption, timing and investment to stay ahead.
Evolving Financial Fraud Threats and Prevention Strategies for Community Banks
Learn how community banks are fighting financial fraud in 2026. Explore key threats like card fraud and check fraud, and discover expert prevention tools.
Community Bank Marketing Strategies for Growth
Learn the latest marketing strategies for community banks, including video, contests, AI, and social media to engage local audiences.
How Community Banks Can Build a Risk-Savvy Board
For community bank board members to mitigate risk effectively throughout the organization, each director needs to understand their role.
Build a Better Banking App With These 5 Tips
If you want your app to be a cut above the rest and give your customers the ideal experience, take note of accessibility, gamification, demographics and other appealing features.
What Innovative Advantage Does Cloud Lending Give Community Banks?
Community banks are using cloud technology to improve efficiency and enhance customer convenience. See how cloud lending is transforming operations for banks and borrowers alike.
What Role Will Your Core Play in Open Banking?
The CFPB’s open banking rule opens financial data to authorized third parties. Will your core processor be ready if it takes effect?
Helpful Tips for Streamlining the Core Conversion Process
At each step of the process, a core conversion will hold new challenges. Make sure you have the tools and knowledge to address these issues and support your employees through it all.
Q&A: Is it Time to Change Your Community Bank Core?
What questions do community banks need to ask to ensure they’re getting the most out of their core?
Is Cybersecurity Insurance Worth the Higher Premiums?
Cybersecurity should be a foundational element of any community bank, but do you really need to be insured for it, especially as premiums rise? We spoke to experts to learn more about cyber insurance.
9 Ways for Community Banks to Cut Expenses
As the start of the fiscal year approaches, it’s a great opportunity for community banks to revisit vendor contracts, technology and more to limit expenses. We asked experts for their top tips on cutting costs and increasing revenue.
8 Ways to Improve a Customer's Digital Banking Experience
Your customers expect a lot from your website, your app and other digital experiences. But how can community banks focus on what will really be useful to customers, rather than the latest shiny object?
How Cloud Banking Benefits Customers
Customers don’t often see the inner workings of how cloud technology simplifies the banking process, but they can certainly experience the perks that come with it.
A fund for diverse tech companies
First National Bank and Black Tech Nation Ventures teamed up to support minority-owned startups in the Pittsburgh community and beyond.
Can AI Help with Vendor Management Challenges?
As community banks grow, their vendor partnerships usually also do, which can lead to challenges with organization, data security and more. To address these issues, some community banks have turned to artificial intelligence.
Six ways data can boost your community bank's brand
Combining data with customer feedback can help community banks understand what customers think about their services and turn those thoughts into action.
Your 2021 physical security assessment checklist
Social distancing measures had a large effect on branch security over the past year. Here’s what to look for when doing a physical security assessment to account for the latest trends in customer—and criminal—behavior.
How your bank can attract and keep diverse talent
Community banks are close to the areas they serve, so it follows that having a diverse workforce that’s representative of their communities would be part of their mission. But it often requires a conscious effort to attract talent of various backgrounds.
Improve your next marketing campaign with data
Using data from your community bank, an ad campaign or public sources allows your marketing efforts to find potential or existing customers who’ve already shown interest in your brand.
Understanding the Opportunities and Concerns for Agentic AI
Here’s what you need to know about the newest form of AI, known as agentic AI.
Will AI Supercharge Regtech for Community Banks?
By harnessing artificial intelligence’s power, regtech has greater potential to streamline regulatory compliance and offer cost savings for community banks that use it, say experts.
8 Budgeting Ideas That Support Growth
Smart budgeting allows for adaptation to changing financial and economic conditions. But the most important thing, say experts, is that community banks focus on investing in what’s working for them.
Securing Your Cloud Banking Network
Cloud banking is rising in popularity. And as with every new technology, community bankers must learn how to limit risk and secure the platform to protect bank customers and their data.
Schooling Customers on Student Loan Fraud
With student loan payments recently unpaused, cybercriminals have new ways of scamming banks and their customers. Here’s what community banks and their customers need to know.