Podcast
The Banker Next Door
Hosted by Dr. Joseph Bergquist · EN
BND is focused on the U.S. Banking industry and how the industry intersects with finance, technology, and economics. Topics discussed can include all types of banking products and lines of business along with strategy, marketing, management, and leadership.
146episodes
Episodes
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BND: Strategy Room Bonus - The American citizen AI revolt has begun!
May 2500:28:18Tap to summarizeThis video is a clip from BND: Strategy Room Live Stream on May 24, 2026. The American citizen is revolting against AI. From the job losses to the data centers being put in our back yards to the amount of overall danger posed from this new technology, Americans are pushing back. President Trump pulled his executive order on AI due to a split in his administration over how tightly AI development should be regulated. Anger is simmering as Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, was booed off the stage at a recent Arizona graduation commencement over his comments around AI. Standard Charter CEO Bill Winters stepped in it last week as he considers his employees “lower-value human capital” to be replaced by AI. There are currently 3,100 data centers in the U.S., more than any other country in the world. There are also 1,800 new data centers in various stages of development. There will be 4,900 data centers when they are completed. How much is enough? The new data centers are massive behemoths that are sucking up unprecedented levels of energy, polluting the water, and creating light and sound pollution. American’s hate them. The constant increases in electric bills are about to cause major problems for politicians. This last week saw a major M&A deal announced between NextEra and Dominion Energy. Finally, the amount of CAPEX being proposed for AI and data center development over the next five years has gone to crazy town.
Transcribe →BND: Strategy Room 5-24-2026
May 2502:13:01Tap to summarizeThe Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.
Transcribe →Review of Federal Reserve Financial Stability Report for May 2026
May 2200:18:23Tap to summarizeThe Financial Stability Report is the Fed’s current assessment of the stability of the U.S. financial system. The Fed seeks to assess vulnerabilities using four broad categories, which include asset valuations, borrowing by businesses and households, leverage in the financial sector, and funding risks. Asset valuations remain elevated. Vulnerabilities from business and household debt remained moderate. Vulnerabilities associated with financial leverage remained notable (Private Credit). Funding risks have remained moderate. Additionally, the report looks at salient risks to the financial system. Survey respondents had concerns about geopolitical risks, oil shock, artificial intelligence, private credit, and persistent inflation. This episode reviewed the Federal Reserve Financial Stability Report for May 2026. A link to the report is included below. Link: Financial Stability Report, May 2026
Transcribe →Is the Federal Reserve facing a hopeless situation?
May 2100:18:37Tap to summarizeWith Jerome Powell existing and Kevin Warsh coming in as the new Fed Chair, he must walk a tight rope across an already strenuous economy. Is the situation hopeless? This seems a fair question given that any action the Fed takes could lead to dire circumstances. Inflation remains elevated, fiscal debt and deficits are out of control, yields are rising in the bond market to compensate for these risks, and the American consumer is running on fumes. Raising rates increases pressure on consumers, banks, and the federal government. Holding rates steady means waiting until something breaks. Decreasing interest rates when inflation remains elevated could risk another spike in inflation further crushing American consumers and the economy. What could be an answer for the Fed? Changing the data, as Warsh has suggested, could be what the Fed uses as rational to lower interest rates. Warsh wants to make changes at the Fed. I am rooting for him, but he faces the Mount Everest of financial difficulties. This episode reviewed an article from Zero Hedge titled “The Fed will invent new inflation numbers out of thin air.” Link: The Fed Will Invent New Inflation Numbers Out Of Thin Air | ZeroHedge
Transcribe →What has 8 years of Jerome Powell at the head of the Federal Reserve brought us?
May 2000:22:10Tap to summarizeJerome Powell’s tenure as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve is coming to an end after 8 years. What has he left us? To say he has left us a mess would be an understatement. The Fed has lost approximately $240B in the last three years. The Fed has unrealized losses in their bond portfolio around $1T. Inflation remains well above the Fed 2% target. Powell has NEVER brought inflation below 2% in his 8-year tenure. The Fed balance sheet is back up to $6.7T, over 2T higher then when he started as Chairman. Powell drained all the liquidity out of the REPO market by bringing down the Fed’s balance sheet. He has since started QE light pumping money back into the market via purchases of bonds and treasuries. Powell has made one misstep after another. He caused a blowup in the REPO market in 2019, he overstimulated the market during covid causing massive inflation, which he deemed as “transitory,” he over tightened interest rates blowing a massive hole in bank balance sheets and leading to a banking crisis in 2023. Now he seeks to be a “shadow chair,” causing additional problems before his final exit. This episode reviewed an article from The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) titled “How eight tumultuous years pushed Jerome Powell and the Fed to the limit.”
Transcribe →Bank News: Bank charters, NCUA chair, SBA rebound, and M&A activity
May 1900:17:20Tap to summarizeBank News: Fintech company Parker files for bankruptcy. JPMorgan is investing $14M in anti-fraud projects. White House names John Crews to NCUA board. Credit Union membership growth returns to positive territory in 1Q 2026. Payward, the parent company of Kraken, is seeking to get a bank charter from the OCC. Augustus Bank receives conditional charter approval from the OCC. Stellantis follows Ford and GM by receiving an ILC banking charter from the FDIC. In M&A news, Hancock and Whitney acquires One Florida Bank in a $377.6M transaction and NexTier buys Bank of Dublin. SBA 7(a) lending rebounded in the 1Q 2026. U.S. regional banks realized year over year earnings growth in the 1Q 2026. This episode examined multiple articles from Banking Dive and S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Transcribe →BND: Strategy Room Bonus - Private Credit: Blue Owl, KKR, and BlackRock under invesigation!
May 1800:14:50Tap to summarizeThis video is a clip from BND: Strategy Room Live Stream on May 16, 2026. This is an update on Private Credit. Private Equity has a problem as the industry has a glut of over $3 trillion in companies that need to be offloaded from their portfolios. PE net asset values are also being called into question. This leads us to Blue Owl. The valuation of their funds is coming into question. The Private Credit hot streak is officially over as defaults continue to rise. KKR’s private credit fund takes a $560 million loss. The defaults in the fund increased to 8.1% in the first quarter of 2026 and the fund had a write-down equal to about 10% of the NAV. At the same time, JPMorgan Chase led bank group reduced KKR’s line of credit. Federal prosecutors announced on Friday (right after the bell of course) that they are probing a BlackRock Private Credit fund due to write-downs and poor performance. The Federal Reserve is increasing NDFI lending disclosures for large banks (because they have the largest concentration). U.S. banks did disclose 1Q 2026 NDFI exposure. Finally, following up on MFS and First Brands. Bankruptcy administrators allege that MFS owner transferred half a billion dollars into personal accounts buying Ferrari's and Rolls Royce’s. The U.S. government asked the bankruptcy court to liquidate First Brands.
Transcribe →BND: Strategy Room Bonus - Real estate update
May 1700:09:03Tap to summarizeThis video is a clip from BND: Strategy Room Live Stream on May 16, 2026. Rents for apartments are down for the 33rd straight month. April home sales disappointed. Only 11% of new construction is in urban areas. The majority of newly built residential homes are in the suburbs. If you do want to build a new house in an urban area the cost is very high. According to research from the National Association of Realtors, America has a surge of foreign buyers in the form of Chinese nationals buying with cash!
Transcribe →BND: Strategy Room 5-16-2026
May 1702:33:37Tap to summarizeThe Banker Next Door (BND) weekly live stream show. Strategy Room provides financial news, commentary, top stories in the business world, economic indicators, and all things banking for the week.
Transcribe →Review of OCC Semiannual Risk Perspective report for Spring 2026
May 1500:15:37Tap to summarizeThe semiannual OCC report on risks to the U.S. banking system found that bank financials remain sound but risks around cyber threats and fraud continue to be a concern. Bank earnings, balance sheets, liquidity, and capital levels remain strong by historical standards. Credit risk is manageable but there are concerns such as the maturity wall and private credit. Past-due, nonaccrual, and charge-offs remain below long-term averages. Cyber and various types of fraud threats remain a concern. Recent developments in AI present opportunities and challenges. This episode reviewed the OCC Semiannual Risk Perspective report for Spring 2026. A link to the report is included below. Link: OCC’s Semiannual Risk Perspective Highlights Key Risks in Federal Banking System | OCC
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