TXN Bank Partners with Teslar Software
We are excited to announce our partnership with TXN Bank!
We are excited to announce our partnership with Greenwoods State Bank!
This September, we hosted our 4th annual User Conference in downtown Bentonville, AR, bringing together an incredible group of community bankers and the Teslar team for two days of collaborative discussions, learning, and exploring new opportunities for how Teslar can support banks in achieving their strategic goals.
We're excited to announce our partnership with State Savings Bank!
We recently hosted an unforgettable employee appreciation event to express our gratitude to our incredible team. This special occasion was also a celebration of Teslar Software turning 16 – Happy Sweet 16 to us!
We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Valliance Bank!
We’re excited to announce our partnership with American Bank of Freedom!
2024 has been a big year for banking compliance, with some Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) updates having gone into effect April 1st, 2024 and Section 1071 regulations going back and forth due to legal challenges and ongoing litigation. Compliance dates, as of June 2024, are now scheduled to go into effect beginning July 18th, 2025.
We are thrilled to announce our partnership with First National Bank of Scott City!
We are excited to announce our partnership with Bank of Franklin!
In the current digital age, community banks are increasingly confronted with the challenges of legacy systems and paper-based processes. These outdated methods not only slow down operations but also introduce inefficiencies that can hinder a bank's ability to compete. Automated workflows and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) offers a cost-effective solution, presenting opportunities for banks to streamline their workflows, minimize errors, and boost overall efficiency.
We are excited to announce our partnership withMountain Pacific Bank!
We're excited to announce our partnership with First State Bank of Texas!
As a service-oriented community bank, Bank of Idaho is committed to making a difference in their community. With locations spanning. Eastern Idaho, the Treasure Valley, and Eastern Washington, they offer a range of services from personal checking and savings, business checking and savings, business lending, SBA lending, mortgage lending, and trust and wealth management services.
Last week, on July 10th, we celebrated a significant milestone as we broke ground on Teslar's new corporate headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas! This marks an exciting chapter in the company's growth and commitment to innovation in the fintech industry.
We're excited to announce our newest partnership with FNB Oxford Bank!
We are excited to announce our partnership with Regent Bank!
As we continue to hear stories of businesses struggling to find and retain talent, it's becoming clear that this is the new normal. Many long-time employees retired en masse during the pandemic, leaving banks and other businesses struggling to attract new talent to fill those gaps.
First Community Bank and Trust has a mission to be the bank whose customers wouldn’t think of banking anywhere else. With a history rooted in serving their communities and helping customers achieve their financial goals, the bank upholds core values of integrity, teamwork, excellence, and innovation. They offer a diverse range of personal and business banking services, emphasizing the importance of customer security and convenience through advanced online banking solutions.
We're excited to announce our new partnership with Andrew Johnson Bank!
We're excited to announce our new partnership withBank of Botetourt!
In today’s financial landscape, community financial institutions find themselves navigating through a unique set of challenges. The wave of bank failures throughout 2023 put a spotlight on the volatile side of the industry, making it critical for community institutions to remind the world of their resilience.
The banking industry is still facing slower loan demand due to higher interest rates and economic uncertainty while also trying to juggle long-withstanding issues like talent shortages, staffing difficulties, and industry disruptors fighting for market share. However, slowed loan demand presents an ideal opportunity for community institutions to evaluate processes and optimize operational efficiencies.
In the dynamic realm of banking, efficient workflow processes are a common goal among financial institutions. Although there are many approaches, true process improvements are made by focusing not on a specific solution, but on the principles that drive efficiency.
One of the most significant of these principles is integration and its potential to redefine the way institutions operate.
As any football fan knows, “decent” isn’t good enough. If you describe your offensive line as “eh, it mostly works,” your quarterback is probably ending most plays on his back.
Decent isn’t good enough. “Our system mostly works,” certainly isn’t good enough. That’s true for football and it’s true for banking.
The holiday season is a time of joy and generosity, and also a lot of shopping. While we’re busy decking the halls, many of us are also decking our shopping lists with gifts for loved ones. As the years go by, one thing has become increasingly clear: holiday shopping isn't what it used to be. But thanks to the power of fintech, the way we shop, budget, and spend during the holiday season has undergone a remarkable transformation. Some fintech solutions are making holiday shopping more convenient, secure, and personalized than ever before.
Despite current economic conditions, innovative banks are avoiding cuts to their tech budgets. However, many banks are still hesitant to venture away from their core providers and form relationships with other technology vendors. Investing in technology can help community banks improve efficiency, reduce operating costs, and reach more customers with an improved customer experience.
Exciting News! As we continue to refine and improve our platform to transform community banking, we’re thrilled to announce a game-changing update. Introducing Teslar’s sleek and intuitive new User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design!
Commercial customers are typically a bank’s largest revenue stream. Meeting their needs and providing top-notch experiences for them is a high priority, but most financial technology is not built or suited for commercial customers or complex relationships.
New Market Bank is a family-owned community bank that has been serving the South Metro area of Minnesota for over a century. Founded in 1905, the bank has grown to become a $193.4 million institution, with branches in Elko New Market, Lakeville, and Prior Lake. The bank has a rich history of family ownership, with Anita Drentlaw currently serving as CEO, President, and CFO, and representing the fourth generation of her family to lead the bank.
Banks are not just competing with other banks anymore. It is hard to even know who our competitors are when the landscape is rapidly changing, and customer expectations are being based on experiences from other industries – Amazon, Spotify, Walmart, and Chick-fil-A to name a few.
Our team had a great experience at IBAT’s 49th Annual Convention in Frisco, TX! This September, industry leaders and partners came together to discuss the latest banking trends and technologies and share insights on navigating the current financial landscape. The convention was packed with informative sessions, fun activities, and networking opportunities.
With tightening margins, inflation, and high interest rates, community bankers face not only a challenging lending environment, but also a battle to sustain deposits. Customers are more knowledgeable than ever and are prepared to shop across multiple channels to find the right fit for their deposit needs. So how can community financial institutions look to compete with larger banks and credit unions to attract those customers?
The Teslar team had the pleasure of attending the 2023 BankIn Minnesota Annual Convention in Eagan, MN earlier this month! Conference attendees David Hamrick and Bethany Wood sat down to discuss their favorite parts of the event.
Extraco Banks and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to streamline the bank’s commercial lending process and more effectively balance their portfolio.
Magnolia State Bank and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to help manage exceptions volume and enhance the lending process. The $420 million-asset community bank will leverage Teslar’s sophisticated exceptions tracking tools to save time and boost efficiencies.
Merchants National Bank and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to streamline the bank’s lending processes, replacing manual tasks with robust automated workflows and supporting strategic growth efforts.
Teslar Software, provider of portfolio management tools that aggregate and automate lending and deposit operations for community financial institutions, today shared highlights from 2022, including innovative product launches, notable client wins and strong industry recognition.
Southern Bank of Tennessee and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to strengthen the bank’s lending strategy, boosting automation, efficiencies and transparency across the organization. The community bank plans to leverage Teslar’s technology to support their growth goals, which includes increasing their portfolio by over 10% each year.
First Pryority Bank, a member FDIC bank, and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to expedite and streamline processes across the bank’s loan department. The Pryor Creek, Okla.-based bank has grown substantially over the past three years and will leverage Teslar’s lending automation software to help support their ongoing growth goals.
Farmers State Bank and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to automate the bank’s commercial lending processes. Teslar’s technology will help the bank efficiently manage their loan portfolio as they continue to grow.
Quaint Oak Bank and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to enhance the bank’s commercial lending strategy. The $750 million-asset community bank will leverage Teslar’s full suite of automated workflow and portfolio management tools to improve the lending process for both lenders and borrowers.
Teslar Software today announced the launch of its indirect lending solution, which empowers community financial institutions to offer indirect lending services to local business and consumers in a way that’s quick, efficient and digitally optimized. Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software, demoed the solution Monday at FinovateFall in New York.
The Teslar team had an amazing time in San Diego, CA last week at the Jack Henry Connect 2022 conference! Conference attendees Colin Savells, David Hamrick, and Jacob McDaniel sat down to discuss their favorite parts of the event.
The Seymour Bank and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to enhance the bank’s commercial lending strategy, increasing automation, efficiencies and accessibility through Teslar’s lending process automation platform.
National Bank & Trust and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to streamline and modernize lending processes. The bank has selected Teslar’s comprehensive suite of automated workflow and portfolio management tools, which will reduce time spent on tedious manual tasks and allow employees to focus on strategic initiatives, such as expansion plans and portfolio diversification.
First Security Bank and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to expedite and streamline processes across the bank’s loan department. The Batesville, Miss.-based bank plans to leverage Teslar’s configurable lending process automation platform, starting with the exceptions management module.
As Americans are beginning to feel the weight of current inflation, thoughts of a coming recession have been on the minds of many. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since 2018 in an attempt to combat inflation. While this announcement has put some minds at ease, there are still many Americans concerned this is just further evidence a recession is coming.
Teslar Software, provider of lending process automation tools for community financial institutions, has been named a 2022 Best Place to Work in Financial Technology by Arizent and Best Companies Group.
Teslar Software has been selected by bank executives as a top lending platform/automation technology in Bank Director's digital transformation poll released this month. These solutions were selected based on innovation, ease of use, service, and ROI.
First Texoma National Bank and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to enhance the bank’s commercial lending processes. The Durant, Okla.-based bank will leverage Teslar’s lending process automation platform to create new efficiencies, improve reporting and manage the loan portfolio with ease.
Opportunity Bank of Montana and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to streamline the bank’s lending process for both employees and customers. The bank anticipates loan growth of up to 10% this year and leveraging Teslar will allow them to scale easily and efficiently.
New Market Bank and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to streamline the bank’s commercial and consumer lending processes. The bank will leverage Teslar’s configurable lending process automation platform, starting with exceptions management.
Citizens Bank of Edmond and Teslar Software today announced their partnership to transform the bank’s lending processes. The $370 million asset bank was first introduced to Teslar Software at the 2019 ICBA ThinkTECH accelerator in Little Rock, Arkansas and later partnered with the fintech during the pandemic.
Please join us in welcoming Mike Skaife to our team as the new SVP of Operations!
Mike joins us with many years of operations experience in the energy industry. In his role here at Teslar Software, Mike will lead our Support and Infrastructure teams to develop, implement, and ensure efficient operations that meet Teslar’s current and future needs. As an SVP, Mike will also work alongside Teslar’s leadership team to help drive vision and strategy. We chatted with Mike and asked him a few “getting to know you” questions to help us get better acquainted:
Citibank recently announced plans to eliminate overdraft fees beginning this summer, making it the largest bank thus far to implement this policy, according to the press release. The bank announced it would stop charging overdraft fees, returned item fees, and overdraft protection fees in an effort to be more financially inclusive.
First National Bank of North Arkansas has selected Teslar Software’s robust lending process automation platform to enhance commercial lending operations. The Berryville, Ark-based bank will leverage Teslar’s technology to further automate and expedite their commercial lending, starting with exceptions and loan reviews.
Net interest margin is a central measure of a financial institution’s long-term success and viability. In an industry that is currently seeing abnormal trends of lower loan originations, excess liquidity, global staff shortages and supply chain issues, closely monitoring margins is of even more importance for banks wanting to avoid falling behind peers.
Teslar Software, provider of portfolio management tools that aggregate and automate lending and deposit operations for community financial institutions, announced today that Skyline National Bank is leveraging its platform to amplify commercial lending productivity and strengthen communication across departments.
On January 29th - February 1st, Teslar Software attended the 2022 Acquire or Be Acquired Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The Teslar team had a great time and many successful conversations during this year’s conference! It was exciting to reconnect with some of our clients and see friendly faces from all over the country. Conference attendees Joe Ehrhardt, CEO, Colin Savells, Account Executive, and Jacob McDaniel, Business Development Representative, reflected on their time at the conference last week.
SPRINGDALE, Ark-- Teslar Software, provider of portfolio management tools that aggregate and automate lending and deposit operations for community financial institutions, wrapped up a strong year full of significant growth, many company milestones, industry recognition and continued support of small businesses and communities across the country.
Excellent customer communication is the pinnacle of community banking. However, a new precedent for speed and digital offerings for your commercial customers has been set since the onset of the Paycheck Protection Program. Will people want to go into a bank branch to apply for a commercial loan when they were able to carry out the entire PPP loan process digitally? Now that these digital expectations have been set, there’s no going back. Bankers can’t revert to doing things the same way they did before the pandemic. It’s just not an option.
Springdale, Ark., Dec. 6, 2021 – Teslar Software, provider of portfolio management tools that aggregate and automate lending and deposit operations for community financial institutions, today shared commentary on what most significantly impacted the market in 2021 and what financial institutions should watch as we head into 2022.
The First Partners with Teslar Software for Comprehensive Portfolio Management
$5.5 billion asset bank selects full suite of portfolio management tools to support growth with increased efficiencies and transparency
In the banking industry, innovation and technology are top of mind for community financial institutions who want to stay relevant. As you search for solutions to your CFI’s needs, you will undoubtedly vet many vendors. Give yourself an advantage and be sure to ask the right questions during the discovery process. These are some of the most important questions you should ask when interviewing potential partners to ensure the relationship is going to be a good fit.
Jefferson Security Bank Selects Teslar’s Full Suite of Automated Workflow and Portfolio Management Tools
Oldest corporation in West Virginia partners with fintech to improve productivity, strengthen customer relationships
Teslar Software will be hosting an ICBA webinar this September! Join Colin Savells, Account Executive at Teslar, to see why bankers choose Teslar Software to provide automated workflow, portfolio and exceptions management, and loan review and collections tools to streamline processes with easy access to relevant information needed to operate.
Community bank leveraging platform for commercial lending after experiencing strong PPP success
SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- Teslar Software, provider of portfolio management tools that aggregate and automate lending and deposit operations for community financial institutions, announced today that Citizens Bank & Trust has partnered with them to streamline lending processes from beginning to end, boosting efficiencies and creating a better customer experience.
Conferences are on our mind right now as we’re preparing for the annual Teslar User Conference coming up this September. Navigating conferences in this post-pandemic/lingering pandemic atmosphere poses its own challenges as we seek to meet the needs and preferences of our clients.
Springdale, Ark., July 7, 2021 – Teslar Software, provider of portfolio management tools that aggregate and automate lending and deposit operations for community financial institutions, announced today that their technology powered over 20% of Paycheck Protection Program loans issued in 2021. The 1.3 million loans powered by Teslar this year represent $22 billion of funding for small businesses across the country. The fintech received SBA approval of 80 loans per minute during peak times.
Community banks have always been good at creating lifetime customers, but evolving technology and customer demands can complicate your ability to satisfy customers post-pandemic. There is a running joke in the banking industry that the pandemic took five years of technology growth and pressed it into one. With the additional demands put on bankers by the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), that joke is one hundred percent true. Now that these digital expectations have been set, there’s no going back. Bankers can’t revert to doing things the same way they did before the pandemic. It’s just not an option.
Meet Kevin Tweddle! Kevin is the Senior Vice President of Community Bank Solutions for the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA). Kevin has many responsibilities in his role, one of them being innovation, which is how he first got involved with Teslar Software.
Meet Camille Phillips! Camille is a banking industry veteran who has worked in both small and large financial institutions, regulators, and private consulting. She currently works as the SVP/Risk Officer at Today’s Bank and serves as a member of Teslar Software’s Board of Directors.
Meet Dr. Jeff Standridge! Jeff is a managing partner for Cadron Capital Partners and Cadron Creek Capital and Managing Director of The Conductor, an entrepreneurial support organization. As someone who works closely with entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, Jeff became acquainted with Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software, as a mentor and investor in the company’s first fundraise.
The banking industry is completely changing (and fast!) due to this global pandemic. While banks are typically slow to adopt technological changes, the pandemic has accelerated this process by years. Digital offerings are not just conveniences anymore, but legitimate necessities for customers now. This adaptation can be more difficult for community banks with more limited resources than it is for large banks, but community banks still want to be players in the game.
Meet Mark Forbis! Mark is the recently retired Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Jack Henry and Associates. During his 38 years in the industry, Mark has seen banking technology evolve and has become highly influential in the industry. Keeping busy during retirement, he also serves on the board of directors for Wausau, WI-based Incredible Bank, Batesville, AR-based Citizens Bank, Digital Check Corp, and, of course, Teslar Software.
We have officially completed one quarter of 2021! The world is slowly shifting into a new phase of normal as covid cases and regulations are diminishing, but things still aren’t quite ready to go back to pre-covid routines. As a fast-growing startup, something exciting is always happening pandemic or not. We’re happy to share and recap just a few of the exciting things that have been happening so far in 2021.
Establishing and maintaining healthy financial habits is an important part of daily life, but collectively, American knowledge of the subject has been severely lacking. Multiple studies and surveys found that kids, teenagers, and young adults were not being taught how to manage personal finances, credit cards, retirement funds, or debt by their parents or by the education system. A study Bank of America conducted showed that only 16% of Americans ages 18-26 feel optimistic about their financial future.[1]
After a long year of pandemic-friendly virtual conferences and trade shows, the Teslar team enjoyed a fun and eventful ICBA Connect this March! We were thrilled to see ICBA Connect bring a change of pace to the virtual conference world. This year, Account Executives David Hamrick and Colin Savells, as well as Business Development Reps Ty Carlson and Jacob McDaniel attended the event. The team all shared their favorite parts of the event.
In the final post of the Teslar Power Users series, we hear from Pam Lawson at NE Oklahoma and NW Arkansas-based Grand Savings Bank about how Teslar helps the bank navigate some of the challenges banks and bankers are currently facing. No matter what your bank’s current processes are or what role you serve at your bank, Teslar can help you and your bank become more efficient, streamlined, and empowered.
Teslar Software is on a mission to help community banks thrive. If your current processes are manual, outdated, and all too time-consuming, Teslar has a solution to help your team become empowered and efficient! Continuing our Power Users series, where we share real-life use cases of Teslar partnerships, Casey Gordon shares about the modules that Guaranty Bank & Trust, based in Belzoni, MS, love the most in Teslar.
No matter what solution your bank currently has or what role you serve at your bank, Teslar Software can help you and your bank become more efficient, streamlined, and empowered. In this series, we will chat with some of our Teslar Power Users to discuss how Teslar helps navigate some of the challenges banks and bankers are facing today.
We’re excited to announce that we will be attending ICBA Connect coming up soon! We’re excited to see all of the ICBA’s plans for an exciting and valuable virtual event come to fruition and navigate this new way of networking.
At Teslar Software, we are in the business of creating highly efficient banks. We build tools designed to improve productivity and increase data accuracy throughout your entire institution. We provide community financial institutions with automated workflow and portfolio management tools to streamline and improve processes with easy access to relevant information needed to operate. Our innovative software is built on four pillars that we believe are essential to any financial institution that is eager to increase efficiency: Integration, Empowering Bankers, Streamlining Processes, and Scalability.
Consumer behavior is an important economic driving force. Although holidays are never about gift-giving or spending money, these cultural norms are still major factors for the economy. V Day is a staple day for retail industries like floral, candy, and jewelry. To get a deeper look at just how much we are spending, who is spending it, and what we are spending it on, we turned to NRF (National Retail Federation), who has surveyed consumers about Valentine’s Day plans annually for almost 20 years.
While the economic effects of coronavirus have led to business closures, job losses, and a drop in GDP, some are taking this as an opportunity to pursue passions and take risks. That’s right, entrepreneurship is on the rise. Americans are starting businesses at the fastest rate in more than a decade. As of September 2020, applications for EIN numbers had surpassed 3.2 million for the year1, with over 500,000 of said applications occurring from mid-Mach to the end of May alone2. This number is, unironically, up 500,000 compared to the year prior1.
During the 2019 ICBA ThinkTECH accelerator, Mark Marionneaux, president and CEO of Zachary, La.-based Bank of Zachary, visited the Venture Center and spoke with several participants, one of whom was Joe Ehrhardt, CEO and founder of Teslar Software. Bank of Zachary has since partnered with Teslar Software for exceptions management and workflow tools to streamline manual processes.
The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 shook the American economy and uprooted day-to-day life for most Americans. We saw a lot of back and forth when it came to economic outlook and predictions. One factor that stayed strong was the housing market. In fact, demand increased and we saw record-breaking sales numbers in 2020. Despite increase in building materials in 2020, demand for new homes also stayed strong.
This year brought about many firsts for the banking industry, our country, and the entire world. It has been a whirlwind year in which public health and safety, the fate of small businesses, the economy, Paycheck Protection Program, and pretty much anything else COVID-related remained top of mind.
Community bankers and small business are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next stimulus bill, which will more than likely include another round of funds for the Paycheck Protection Program. At this time, there is no official ruling, and all details are based on probability and speculation, but we learned last time that this program is fast-moving and ever-changing. By our commitment to helping make PPP an easier process for community bankers and their customers, we’re back with an all new module for this new round.
Christmas Club accounts (or Holiday Club accounts) are short-term savings accounts offered by financial institutions to help consumers set aside money for holiday expenditures. These accounts take a designated amount from each paycheck throughout the year and set it aside in the holiday account. This amount could be as small as 5 or 10 dollars per paycheck.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday are just around the corner! Traditional Black Friday proceedings will undoubtedly be different this year, however, research from Periscope by McKinsey reveals that Black Friday will still be the most popular shopping event this holiday season.
Have you heard the buzz about how your Netflix bill can help boost you credit score? Experian Boost is a free service that first launched in early 2019 and is helping those who are looking to increase their credit scores. Unlike Credit Management Services or other “quick” methods of credit building, Experian is a trusted and established company in the credit score world and this free service will boost FICO scores instantly.
Teslar Software, a provider of automated workflow and portfolio management tools designed to help community financial institutions thrive, today shined a light on predictions and opportunities for community bankers to develop their business relationships in 2021.
Today we honor those who have served and continue to serve our country. Words cannot begin to express our gratitude for the repeated sacrifices veterans have made on our behalf.
In this post, we would like to honor the veterans within our company, Jason McKenzie and Donny Drummonds who both served in the United States Army.
The modern community banker is caught in the crossfires of remaining traditional and being expected to adapt to accommodate a new generation of customers. Let’s face it—community bankers are expected to be all things to all people. Many community banks are juggling trying to serve rural customers with no internet access or even an email address, while simultaneously meeting the digital needs of younger and more fast-paced lifestyles.
Teslar Software hosted an ICBA webinar on September 23rd, 2020 and David Hamrick, Account Executive at Teslar, gave an amazing presentation!
In this webinar, David introduces Teslar and how we provide automated workflow, portfolio and exceptions management, and loan review and collections tools to streamline processes with easy access to relevant information needed to operate.
While the number still remains small, the amount of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud cases continues to rise.
PPP loans have provided a much-needed lifeline to many small businesses, non-profits, and sole proprietors during the Coronavirus pandemic, however the rushed creation of this program is starting to show its negative side effects. Just this week, we’ve seen two new arrests in relation to PPP fraud.
The coverage of the Paycheck Protection Program and PPP forgiveness has been so vast that many of the additional loans, grants, and other aid given since Coronavirus shutdowns began in March have been brushed to the side. With such a focus on the forgiveness of PPP loans, many loan recipients who received additional government aid may be in for a shock when they determine their forgiveness amount.
You may have already heard about our PPP Forgiveness solution, Teslar PPP Forgiveness, but did you know we are integrated with SBA’s API? The direct API connection allows the lender to submit the application form with supporting documents to the SBA for approval easily through Teslar, saving you from having to use 10+ documents, answer questions and submit for each loan on your own to the SBA.
Teslar is excited to announce that we will be attending the 2020 Jack Henry Annual Conference (JAC) & TechConnect in October! We’re excited to see this conference go virtual and we’re ready to navigate this new way of networking.
The Paycheck Protection Program is top of mind for many small businesses, CPAs, and lenders. Understandably, many loan recipients are chomping at the bit to begin the forgiveness process and have some certainty regarding their payback amount. While the eagerness to get the PPP forgiveness process started is not unfounded, experts are advising against getting in a rush to apply. There are many reasons waiting might be the best option.
Experts have been predicting a coming recession long before Coronavirus was on the world’s radar, but nobody was quite expecting the global health pandemic that is currently wreaking havoc on America’s economy. Current economic trends are being compared to those of The Great Recession of 2008. While there are some discrepancies between the two, this still leaves bankers with a little bit of an advantage in knowing what’s suspected to come— many loans are going to become criticized.
Summer will be ending in just a few short weeks and perhaps the craziest, scariest, most uncertain school year of our lifetime will begin, affecting not just school-aged children and their families, but employers, coworkers, friends, relatives, everybody. While the whens and hows are still up in the air, it is for certain that school will resume next month one way or another.
No matter the year, month, or season, no matter the state of current affairs-- cybersecurity is important! In fact, scams have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic left the world on lockdown (read more on these scams here), so there’s no better time to double check your security measures. Check out our infographic below as we share some wisdom on secure passwords from Teslar’s VP of Support, Chris Whittle.
What a whirlwind second quarter we just finished! This time last year (heck, even Q1 2020), we could never had envisioned all the excitement and busyness of these past three months. With COVID-19 reaching pandemic level shortly after the start of Q2, we’ve changed our structures and routines a bit, tried our hand at remote training, seen great milestones accomplished, and created three new products.
The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed nearly every facet of American day-to-day life to where most citizens do not see our daily routines ever returning to what we once considered “normal.” When we say every facet, we mean every facet. Mental, physical, familial, financial, personal, and professional. A lot of the effects we’ve felt from the pandemic have been less than savory, but this pandemic is also changing some things for the better. Below are just a few life lessons many Americans have learned from this pandemic (so far) regarding banking and finances.
Prior the coronavirus outbreak, there was a growing rate of stores and businesses no longer accepting cash. While this may seem like a natural progression as technology and digital banking grow, this cashless model was actually met with a lot of backlash. Just six months ago in January 2020 (which may feel like years to many of us), New York passed a bill banning businesses from rejecting cash payments nearly unanimously.
Big bankruptcies have been trickling in this year as the US continues to navigate through the coronavirus pandemic. Many of these companies filing for bankruptcy have been, unsurprisingly, airline and travel companies, and now we are seeing more and more big names like J. Crew and J.C. Penney added the list. “In May alone, some 27 companies reporting at least $50 million in liabilities sought court protection from creditors -- the highest number since the Great Recession,” reports Bloomberg.
Mark Cuban, Citizens Bank of Edmond and Teslar Software Team Up to
Help All Small Businesses with PPP Forgiveness
Group collaborates to launch free website that simplifies and streamlines PPP forgiveness for small businesses, regardless of lender
The largest banks in the United States have recently reported exceptional growth in the past months. The ten largest U.S. banks grew in asset size by more than $1.2 trillion in Q1 of 2020. 20 percent of this growth alone ($273 billion in new deposits) came from JPMorgan, placing it as the first bank in the U.S. with $3 trillion in assets.1
Teslar Software will be participating in an exciting virtual event alongside other fintechs tomorrow (Thursday, May 21st) at 11:00am CDT! The Alliance for Innovative Regulation, the ICBA, and the Venture Center are hosting “PPP Tech | Loan Forgiveness Solution Sprint,” a virtual event to showcase technology solutions to help with PPP Forgiveness-- reporting, managing, and servicing these loans. Each invited fintech will spend five minutes demonstrating their solution followed by a Q&A session with community bank leaders.
Many organizations have feared a work-from-home model for years, worrying about the risks that come with more distractions, less accountability, and less productivity for employees, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many organizations to adopt work-from-home procedures despite their apprehension. However, many have found their fears put at ease—this actually works. Not only do employees have more free time, lending way to better quality of life, and get to work in sweatpants, but they’re doing it with just as much, if not more, productivity. Many predict that working from home is here to stay.
It has been several days since the second round of PPP loan processing began. Bankers were hoping for a smoother ride this go-around, but many of the same problems that plagued the first round of the Paycheck Protection Program are still on the scene in round two.
This school year, the celebrations are limited, but the appreciation has exponentially increased as parents and caregivers across the nation have walked a mile in the shoes of a teacher. Between Zoom meetings, AMI packets, communications with parents, and supporting and caring for students, teachers are still working hard in the background, supporting their students and families as much as ever.
The U.S. Consumer Confidence Index has dropped by 30 percent since February, from 101 down to 71.8—the lowest it’s been since December 2011. Unemployment is at its highest since the Great Depression, and many families and businesses are already unable to pay their rent or mortgage among other expenses. Many citizens and experts have expressed fear that America might experience another depression. “We have never seen anything like this," says Princeton University professor and economist Alan Blinder regarding the recent number of unemployment claims. “This looks likely to be deep enough to qualify as a depression."
On Monday (April 20th) oil prices reached below zero for the first time ever at negative $37 a barrel, meaning traders were paying money to get people to take oil for the month of May. A recent article from NPR says, “It’s a sign of just how imbalanced the global oil markets are.”
Just thirteen days after its launch, the $350 billion Paycheck Protection Program fund (part of the $2 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package) had exhausted all funds. There have been talks of more funding coming, but this has left questions circulating like: Are more funds coming? How much more? When?
There are two legitimate concerns when thinking about reopening the country: the physical health and well-being of citizens and the economic health and well-being of citizens. President Trump’s initial hope to see the country reopened by Easter was met with a lot of backlash from healthcare professionals and economists that said it was too soon and would wind up doing more harm than good. While obviously that date has come and gone with no uplifting of shelter-in-place and other social distancing orders, the push to reopen sooner than later is not unfounded. Yesterday, the president announced the ‘Opening Up America Again’ plan aiming for May 1st.
Coronavirus relief stimulus checks have begun dispersing, and word has been circulating about giving out even more. These cash payments are part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act totaling $2,000,000,000,000.00. The act is broken down for multiple moving parts of this pandemic: stimulus checks, extra unemployment, loans for corporations and small businesses, health care, etc. However, this $2 trillion number has still left many reeling, wondering where this money is coming from or if this will cause inflation.
April is Financial Literacy Month! This year, many of us have unique opportunities to participate in Financial Literacy Month. As schools around the globe are shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents and caregivers have suddenly found themselves largely taking on the role of their children’s educators. Many are searching for new, exciting, and educational resources for children to do with their newfound free time.
If you’re in the banking or small business industry, you’re more than likely aware of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that begins today, Friday, April 3rd, 2020 as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This program is designed to help small businesses.
We have launched a free product called Teslar Unite – PPP. This module is designed to assist community bankers and small businesses with the SBA COVID-19 PPP loan application process. By leveraging Teslar Unite – PPP, financial institutions will have a portal integrated in their own website that will allow their small business customers to easily download the PPP loan application, fill it out, upload it and track the status of the loan. This module is available for free to all community financial institutions during the dates available for small businesses to apply for the COVID-19 PPP.
Scams are always abundant in this day and age, but COVID-19 has quickly brought about societal shifts full of financial and economic uncertainty and of scared and vulnerable people, and scammers are already working the cause. Scam artists are always looking for opportunities to steal money and data from people and businesses, especially financial institutions. And this time is no different.
Credit scores are a big deal. They’re used to determine if you can buy or rent a house, get a car, or even some jobs. FICO is implementing extensive changes to credit score calculations that will affect millions of Americans. An estimated 40 million Americans will see their score drop by 20 or more points, and equally as many might see as large of an increase.1
The Teslar team had an amazing time in Orlando, FL last week at the ICBA Live conference! Conference attendees Joe Ehrhardt, CEO, Account Executives Colin Savells and David Hamrick, and Director of Marketing, Courtney Martin sat down to discuss their favorite parts of the event.
With a growing number of companies implementing work-from-home policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it looks like many of us will be working from home for an indefinite amount of time. While many people are used to part-time or fully remote work, this is a bit of a culture shock for those of us who are used to our office setting. We’d like to share some tips for a more productive workday from people who have successfully worked from home for years.