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Paladin Blog

Aaron Silva

Recent Posts

Impact of Core and IT on Mergers and Acquisitions: Protecting Shareholder Value

Posted by Aaron Silva on Jul 12, 2018 11:27:09 AM

The vast majority of middle-market community banks and credit unions will at some point explore acquiring or being acquired because M&As are one of the quickest and most effective ways a bank can scale up, expand reach, and grow. Unfortunately, many of these banks have no choice but to watch lucrative M&A opportunities pass them by because they unwittingly agreed to grossly unfair and inequitable terms in their core and IT contracts.

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Topics: Contract Negotiations, community banks, vendor merger, M&A

Listen now: Evercore ISI interviews Aaron Silva

Posted by Aaron Silva on Jun 14, 2018 10:36:43 AM

Global independent investment banking advisory firm Evercore ISI interviews fintech expert Aaron Silva on all things banking. Listen now to Aaron's predictions for the banking industry: 

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Topics: Contract Negotiations, community banks, Fiserv, Fidelity, Jack Henry, Vendor consolidation, Credit Unions, vendor merger, M&A, Fintech, open banking

LISTEN NOW: Will open banking change banking-fintech partnerships?

Posted by Aaron Silva on Jun 13, 2018 5:23:44 PM

In this comprehensive expert panel discussion at LendIt Fintech 2018, Paladin's Aaron Silva leads a compelling and lively discussion about how financial institutions are navigating the exciting world of fintech. Topics include innovation, opportunities, resistance, analytics, security and much more. Four renowned experts participate in the podcast every bankers should hear. Listen NOW: 

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Topics: bank events, Fintech, open banking

Be Careful - That Quote May Be a Hand Grenade!

Posted by Aaron Silva on Jun 12, 2018 9:02:15 AM

 

Your bank is constantly looking for ways to improve its fintech as competition from the big banks steadily increases. Routinely you turn to your current core and IT suppliers for ancillary add-ons like mobile deposit, fraud detection, a CRM or a new EFT card services feature. There are a million options your supplier can up-sell that will improve the current core solution. There probably isn’t an institution in the United States that doesn’t have a quote on someone’s desk waiting for approval.

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Cost Control: Ferreting Out Hidden Costs to Improve the Bottom Line

Posted by Aaron Silva on Mar 26, 2018 10:28:19 AM

As we enter 2018, it's more crucial than ever for local banks to focus on their bottom lines, and for credit unions to improve member value. The number of banks with less than $100 million in assets has declined by more than two-thirds since 1995 — due in large part to big banks usurping market share. 

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Topics: Contract Negotiations, community banks, Credit Unions, M&A

Core IT Suppliers Join the Joan Crawford Fan Club

Posted by Aaron Silva on Jan 22, 2018 7:00:00 AM

Sell your bank and face the wrath of the Core IT oligarch’s power when they unfairly levy termination fees that typically range from 50% to 100% of remaining contract value.

If you’re fortunate enough to be the acquiring institution in the same M&A  deal, don’t get too comfortable watching their shareholders take the low blow as you handicap the purchase price to adjust for their misfortune. The Core IT supplier “partner” will inflict that wire-hanger whipping as soon as the definitive deal is inked.

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Topics: Contract Negotiations, community banks

Paladin Gives Back

Posted by Aaron Silva on Aug 23, 2016 11:25:12 AM

 

At Paladin, we are to committed to charitable giving and investing in people and organizations who work hard for those who have greater needs. And because everyone can use a helping hand, support or guidance at one point or another, we launched our Paladin Gives Back: Power of One Reference program, and we’re proud to announce we’re seeing compelling results.

One of the charities we’ve worked closely with for years, and have remained loyal to in this endeavor is Opportunity Junction, an organization that fights poverty by helping low-income Americans garner the skills and confidence necessary to both attain and sustain jobs that will help support themselves and their families. We would like to share with you the below letter our team recently received from Alissa Friedman, Opportunity Junction’s Executive Director, as a clear example demonstrating the payoff our charitable dollars have generated within the community.

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The Incentive of Doing Nothing

Posted by Aaron Silva on Jun 15, 2016 8:00:00 AM

For community financial institutions, it’s customary that every 5-7 years the decision must be made to either stay and renegotiate with their Core and IT provider or embark on a new contract with a competing vendor. When this time comes, it’s important that all decision makers have the right information, which can create more work for the banking staff with minimal incentive.

After many years of fighting on behalf of community FIs and countless conversations with senior bank executives, the truth is that senior management and their staff are not always receiving objective and unbiased information when it comes to identifying the best options for their franchise because there is so much extra work involved (with a future core conversion) —which in turn creates an incentive to stay put with their original vendor.  

In a recent conversation with the COO of a past client, an $800 million asset bank in New England, I learned that he believes his staff, and just about the staff of any community bank, has a natural incentive to want to do nothing when it comes to the question of staying or going. 

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Topics: Contract Negotiations

Oligopoly Affecting What You Really Pay for New Products?

Posted by Aaron Silva on Jul 2, 2015 2:03:00 PM

 

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No Such Thing as a 10-Year Core IT Contract

Posted by Aaron Silva on Feb 20, 2015 4:14:00 PM

How can any of us bet on the function and value of technology 10 years from now?  When you think of the question a few times the answer appears obvious.  You cannot.  It would be impractical.  Unreasonable by any measure.  However, vendors are doing a great job of convincing banks and credit unions they need a 10-year deal.

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Topics: Contract Negotiations