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Correll Davis, senior consultant at Cornerstone Advisors, said the firm’s assessment methodology—designed to measure “Data IQ” across five key categories—found that even the highest-scoring areas fall short of excellence.“There’s a lot of excitement around AI-based tools and platforms, but many institutions aren’t taking the first step of looking at how well they’re actually managing the data they already have.”

C&I is often seen as riskier than CRE lending. In terms of charge-off rates, CRE loans fare better than commercial loans, says Joel Pruis, a senior director in the commercial and small business segments at the consulting firm Cornerstone Advisors, though he notes that’s a “myopic view” of these different business models since it doesn’t take into account the better yields and other revenue streams that C&I credits garner. “If you’re heavy into C&I, then the net impact is you get better pricing to compensate for the higher charge-offs,” he adds. “The net performance is overall better.”

The partnership imperative is clear: Cornerstone Advisors’ “What’s Going On In Banking 2023” study confirmed that 70% of financial institutions now view partnerships as critical to their business strategies. Banks face a choice: Build fintech capabilities internally, which requires years and significant investment and execution risk, or partner with compliant fintechs that have already solved these problems.

The session features expert insights from Ethan Silver (Lowenstein Sandler) and Ron Shevlin (Cornerstone Advisors). Together, they'll explore how embedded investing can elevate your value proposition—while remaining compliant and competitive.

According to a new report, The New Growth Playbook: Vertical and Niche Strategies, from Cornerstone Advisors, each of three threats would be daunting on its own.

Cornerstone Advisors senior director Chris Miller told American Banker that community banks have been trying to bring their digital and core banking systems together for years, and the acquisition signals a shift towards core providers filling the gap and offering banks end-to-end digital services.

Google is almost certainly making these moves with OpenAI in mind, said Tony DeSanctis, senior director of payments for Cornerstone Advisors. “They need to make Chrome more valuable.”

John Meyer, managing director at Cornerstone Advisors, said, "AI doesn't have a conscience, so bankers have to make sure the tech is compliant with all the relevant banking regulations."

Tony DeSanctis, a senior director at Cornerstone Advisors, told American Banker: "This is similar to Klarna Pay in 4 and other zero-consumer-cost BNPL solutions. It is also possible that this is a marketing effort to gain adoption and attract more merchants. It will be something worth monitoring."

As the shift to bot workers accelerates, executives must ask and answer several key questions.