CBA’s Suite 550 Podcast

Suite 550 is the Consumer Bankers Association’s regular podcast exploring all things retail banking. Each episode offers expert insight into a unique aspect of our industry, including emerging trends, regulatory highlights or legislative updates.
  • Episode 1 - Featuring Brad Conner of Citizens Bank

    Episode: 1
    Thursday, January 25, 2018
    CBA Board Chair Brad Conner of Citizens Bank sits down with CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt for the inaugural Suite 550 podcast. In this episode Brad and Richard discuss the evolution of banking over the last several decades and the impact technology has had - and is having - on the industry.
  • Episode 2 – Featuring Frost Bank’s Cindy Reeves & Regions’ Tangie Holland

    Episode: 2
    Thursday, February 8, 2018
    CBA's CFPB Committee Chair Cindy Reeves of Frost Bank and Vice Chair Tangie Holland of Regions sit down with CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt to talk about the Committee's work for the year. Cindy and Tangie also discuss their experience in banking and how technology has changed the way banks are working to serve their customers as well as some of the regulatory changes that have occurred since...
  • Episode 3 - Featuring U.S. Bank's Chief Innovation Officer Dominic Venturo

    Episode: 3
    Thursday, March 1, 2018
    In this episode of CBA's Suite 550 podcast, U.S. Bank's Chief Innovation Officer Dominic Venturo discusses the use of technology and how banks are creating state-of-the-art offerings to better serve their customers.
  • Episode 4 - Featuring Huntington's David Mehrle & Citizens' Maria Leonard

    Episode: 4
    Thursday, April 5, 2018
    CBA's Risk Committee Chair David Mehrle with Huntington Bank and immediate past Committee Chair Maria Leonard of Citizens Financial discuss the group's work developing risk management practices and what it means to head the risk divisions for their respective banks. Maria and David also discuss how banks’ risk departments meet their regulatory obligations as well as serve as the first line of...
  • Episode 5 - Featuring CBA Executive Banking School's Paul Leventhal

    Episode: 5
    Tuesday, April 17, 2018
    Want to take your banking knowledge to the next level? Join Paul Leventhal, Chairman of the Faculty Advisory Committee for CBA Executive Banking School and professor emeritus for finance at Bishop’s University, and Melissa Cabocel, CBA’s Senior Vice President of Education and Director of CBA Executive Banking School, as they discuss CBA Advaned Education offerings, including the benefits of...
  • Episode 6 - Featuring Discover’s John Vidovich & Citizens’ Christine Roberts

    Episode: 6
    Thursday, April 26, 2018
    Congress is taking the first steps in reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. Learn how this legislation can help banks finance the education goals of their customers from CBA’s Education Funding Chair John Vidovich, Vice President of Business Development with Discover Financial, and Vice Chair Christine Roberts, Head of Student Lending at Citizens Bank. For more information on this issue, read...
  • Episode 7 - Featuring ICBA's Cam Fine

    Episode: 7
    Tuesday, May 1, 2018
    Before his upcoming retirement after 15 years as President and CEO of ICBA, Cam Fine sits down with CBA’s Richard Hunt to discuss the evolution of the banking industry and his career in banking – from his first days working a check sorting machine to opening his own bank in Missouri before taking the helm of ICBA. Cam also talks about how regulations governing banking have changed over the years...
  • Episode 8 - Featuring Tom Parrish of BMO Harris Bank

    Episode: 8
    Wednesday, June 27, 2018
    CBA's Home Equity Lending Committee Chair Tom Parrish, Head of Retail Lending Product Management with BMO Harris Bank, sits down with CBA's Senior Vice President of Congressional Affairs Sam Whitfield to discuss the benefits of home equity lines of credit, how a rising interest rate effects the product and the recent changes to the tax treatment of these loans.
  • Episode 9 - Featuring Steve Zeisel and Sue Whitson of BMO Harris Bank

    Episode: 9
    Thursday, August 30, 2018
    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has released its anticipated advance notice of proposed rulemaking on the Community Reinvestment Act. This is the first step in modernizing the law, which was enacted four decades ago. CBA's President and CEO discussed the modernization effort and CBA's work on this important law with CBA's General Counsel Steve Zeisel and the Chair of CBA's Community...
  • Suite 550 Season 4, Episode 4 - Featuring Eastern Bank’s Quincy Miller

    Episode: 29
    Wednesday, February 24, 2021
    From Eastern Bank President, CBA Board Member and Chair of CBA’s Education Council to serving on the boards of more than a half dozen community organizations in the Boston area, Quincy Miller knows the value of giving back. He joins CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt to discuss diversity, equality and inclusion efforts within the banking industry, why he believes the most recent focus on these...
  • Season 4, Episode 3: Featuring Synchrony’s Samantha Melting

    Episode: 28
    Monday, January 25, 2021
    Synchrony has made headlines of late by moving to a remote-first work model, but despite the option of working in PJs, the bank is anything but sleepy as it sits at the forefront of a rapidly changing digital age. CBA Board Member and Synchrony Head of Consumer Bank Samantha Melting chats with CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt about the work-from-home shift and how the COVID-19 pandemic has...
  • Season 3, Episode 8 - Featuring M&T's Rich Gold & Truist's Brant Standridge

    Episode: 26
    Tuesday, June 9, 2020
    The banking industry has been at the forefront of America's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this podcast CBA Board Members Rich Gold, President and Chief Operating Officer with M&T Bank, and Brant Standridge, Head of Retail Community Banking with Truist, discuss decisions to alter branch services to protect customer and employee health, the implementation of the Paycheck Protection...
  • Season 4, Episode 2: Featuring IntraFi Network’s Rob Blackwell

    Episode: 28
    Tuesday, December 15, 2020
    After two decades covering the regulations, policies, trends and people impacting the banking industry, former Editor-in-Chief of American Banker Rob Blackwell joined IntraFi as their Chief Content Officer. Rob chats with CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt about his insights and opinions on what the incoming Biden Administration should focus on first, how the pandemic has shifted the public’s...
  • Season 4, Episode 1: Featuring CBA Board Chair Christine Channels with Bank of America

    Episode: 27
    Friday, November 6, 2020
    CBA’s Board Chair Christine Channels with Bank of America joins CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt to discuss the impact the COVID pandemic has had on the banking industry, the role banks have played in providing assistance to customers and small businesses, as well as the future of the industry and how banks are stepping up to address top-of-mind issues like racial and gender equality.
  • Season 3, Episode 7 - Featuring Norton Rose Fulbright's Jonathan Franklin & Peter Siegal

    Episode: 25
    Thursday, February 27, 2020
    While CBA’s podcasts generally feature bank executives or focus on banking trends, this episode takes a look at the Seila Law vs. CFPB case being taken up by the Supreme Court next week. Hear CBA General Counsel David Pommerehn and Norton Rose Fulbright’s Jonathan Franklin and Peter Siegal discuss CBA’s amicus brief, the legal arguments and ramifications the Court’s ruling could have.
  • Season 3, Episode 6 - Featuring BBVA USA's Cagri Suzer

    Episode: 24
    Tuesday, January 14, 2020
    As BBVA USA’s Head of Retail Banking, Cagri Suzer spends a lot of time finding the happy medium between person-to-person banking and modern technology. Cagri, who is also a CBA Board Member, sat down with CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt to discuss how BBVA has been one of the leaders in banking’s digital transformation and what that means for the future of physical bank branches.
  • Season 3, Episode 5: Featuring Comptroller Joseph Otting

    Episode: 23
    Thursday, December 12, 2019
    Comptroller Otting discusses with CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt some of the changes the proposed CRA rule would require as well as the OCC’s work with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
  • Season 3, Episode 4 – Featuring Webster Bank’s Desiree Wolfe

    Episode: 22
    Monday, December 9, 2019
    Desiree Wolfe, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Webster Bank and Vice Chair of CBA’s Deposits and Payments Committee, discusses the latest in real-time payments, fraud prevention and what banks are doing to make the payment process more seamless for their customers. Desiree was in Washington to brief the bipartisan Congressional Fintech and Payments Caucus on behalf of CBA.
  • Season 3, Episode 3 - Featuring TIAA Bank's John Pataky

    Episode: 21
    Monday, November 18, 2019
    John Pataky, the new Chair of CBA’s Mid-Tier Retail Executive Forum and EVP, Chief Consumer and Commercial Banking Executive at TIAA Bank, discusses who mid-size banks view as their competition, mergers and the impact of prolonged low interest rates. John also talks to CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt about the need for bankers to serve as strong advocates for the industry with policymakers and...
  • Season 3, Episode 2 - Featuring CBA Board Member Ernie Johannson of BMO Harris

    Episode: 20
    Wednesday, October 30, 2019
    Ernie Johannson, CBA Board Member and BMO Harris’ Group Head of North American Personal & U.S. Business Banking, calls into Suite 550 to discuss being selected one of the Most Powerful Women in Banking, a decade of BMO Harris’ team of women leaders being named the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance, and how BMO has been a “bold leader in changing communities, building communities,...
  • Season 3, Episode 1 - Featuring New CBA Board Chair Nitin Mhatre of Webster

    Episode: 19
    Wednesday, September 11, 2019
    Nitin Mhatre, Executive Vice President, Head of Community Banking at Webster Bank and CBA's new Board Chairman for the upcoming year, sits down with CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt to discuss the Association's legislative and regulatory priorities as well as his history in banking and the role consumer banks play in financing the dreams of consumers and small businesses. For the upcoming year...
  • Season 2, Episode 8 - Featuring Bank of America's John Jordan, PNC's Jenny Rhodes & CBA's Brenda Mechling

    Episode: 18
    Thursday, August 1, 2019
    Bank of America’s Managing Director and Head of The Academy John Jordan and PNC’s SVP of Human Resources-Retail Distribution Jenny Rhodes sit down with Brenda Mechling, CBA’s SVP of Education Relations, to discuss what the banking industry is doing to recruit, retain and prepare the best and the brightest retail bankers. John and Jenny lead CBA’s Talent Management Committee and both of their...
  • Season 2, Episode 7 - Featuring CBA's Talent Management Committee

    Episode: 17
    Monday, April 29, 2019
    Following a panel with CBA’s Talent Management Committee at CBA LIVE, several industry leaders on diversity sat down to discuss the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce, how to ensure organizations are recruiting and retaining top employees and how to recognize and overcome unconscious bias. IBERIABANK’s Chief Diversity Officer Monica Sylvain, Vigeo Alliance CEO and Managing Partner...
  • Season 2, Episode 6 - Featuring Woodforest's Doug Schaeffer and Daniel Galindo with CBA's Maren Colon

    Episode: 16
    Friday, May 3, 2019
    At CBA LIVE 2019, Woodforest National Bank was presented with CBA's 2019 Joe Belew Award for its Woodforest Foundry program. Woodforest's CRA Executive Director Doug Schaeffer and CRA and Strategy Director Daniel Galindo sat down with CBA's Maren Colon after receiving the award to discuss the program as well as Woodforest's community investment programs. This year's Joe Belew Award was presented...
  • Season 2, Episode 5 – Featuring Citizen’s Brad Conner, AEI’s Jason Delisle and BPC’s Kenny Megan

    Episode: 15
    Thursday, April 11, 2019
    At CBA LIVE 2019, Citizens Financial Vice Chair of Consumer Banking Brad Conner moderated a student lending discussion with American Enterprise Institute Resident Fellow Jason Delisle and Bipartisan Policy Center Senior Policy Analyst Kenneth Megan – both recognized education policy experts. The three continued the discussion on a special edition of Suite 550 where they take a deep dive into PLUS...
  • Season 2, Episode 4 – Featuring CBA’s Kris Fallon and Richard Hunt

    Episode: 14
    Monday, March 11, 2019
    CBA’s Vice President of Congressional Affairs Kris Fallon sits down with CBA President & CEO Richard Hunt to discuss a recent poll examining Americans’ views on student lending. The CBA-conducted poll found Americans strongly believe student loans should carry clear, personalized, plain-language disclosures about the loan’s total costs. These disclosures are not included on federal loans but...
  • Season 2, Episode 3 - Featuring CBA Digital Chair Josh Winstead, TIAA, and Tim Ruhe, Fiserv

    Episode: 13
    Wednesday, October 31, 2018
    Josh Winstead, the new chair of CBA’s Digital Channels Committee and TIAA Bank’s SVP - Director of Digital Strategy and Operations, discusses with Tim Ruhe, Vice President of Real-Time Payments for Fiserv, what consumers are looking for in digital banking platforms, digital advancements and how banks are speeding up payment processing. Josh and Tim are joined by CBA’s Associate General Counsel...
  • Season 2, Episode 2 - Featuring CBA Auto Finance Committee Chair Rich Porrello, Huntington and Auto Vertical Leader Lou Loquasto, Equifax

    Episode: 12
    Tuesday, September 25, 2018
    Rich Porrello, the chair of CBA's Auto Finance Committee and EVP - Auto Finance Group Director with Huntington, joined Lou Loquasto, the Auto Vertical Leader at Equifax, and CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt to discuss the latest auto lending trends, the continued strength of the auto lending market as well as what cars Americans are buying among other hot topics in the sector.
  • Season 2, Episode 1 – Featuring CBA Incoming Chair Todd Barnhart of PNC

    Episode: 11
    Tuesday, September 11, 2018
    Todd Barnhart, Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Distribution with PNC Bank and CBA's Board Chairman for the upcoming year, sits down with CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt to discuss the Association's legislative and regulatory priorities as well as the changes the industry has undergone since the financial crisis.
  • Episode 10 – Featuring Dan VanSciver, Sallie Mae, and Mark Weintraub, Wells Fargo

    Episode: 10
    Tuesday, September 4, 2018
    CBA’s Internal Audit Committee brings together senior audit leaders to facilitate discussions on emerging industry risks and professional issues. CBA President and CEO Richard Hunt catches up with Committee Chair Dan VanSciver, Senior Vice President & Chief Audit Officer with Sallie Mae, and Mark Weintraub, Chief Operational Risk Officer with Wells Fargo, about the committee’s work and the...