Believe in Banking

In this special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet welcome Jeffrey Martinez, Executive Vice President and Head of Branch Banking at PNC. In their illuminating conversation, Jeffrey shares the story behind PNC’s $1.5 billion investment in their branch network and how the bank’s continuing commitment to the branch is fueling even more customer connection and institutional growth. From his early banking r...

In Part 2 of their special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet welcome back Yvonne Garand, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer and Jevonne McLaughlin, Vice President of Brand Marketing, from EastRise Credit Union. In their conversation, Yvonne and Jevonne describe the rebranding process following the merger between New England Federal Credit Union and Vermont State Employees Credit Union. They discuss the...

In this special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet welcome Yvonne Garand, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer and Jevonne McLaughlin, Vice President of Brand Marketing, both from EastRise Credit Union. In their dynamic discussion, Gina, Juliet, Yvonne, and Jevonne address the merger of New England Federal Credit Union and Vermont State Employees Credit Union to form Vermont's largest credit union and res...

In this episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet discuss challenges and change in the community banking sector. Making up 97% of all financial institutions, community banks and credit unions are purpose-driven institutions, uncovering opportunities to grow through their unique community connections. Their conversation covers M&A activity among community banks and how “mergers of equals” provide for scale and s...

In this special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet welcome Al Dominick, Partner with Cornerstone Advisors, a consulting services firm powered by data to deliver customized results for banks and credit unions. In their lively conversation, Al, Gina, and Juliet discuss the current state of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the banking and credit union sectors, including factors driving the need for s...

In the year-end episode, the Believe in Banking podcast covers the key trends and themes that have shaped the banking industry in 2024 and are expected to continue in 2025. Conversations between Gina Bleedorn, Juliet D’Ambrosio, and Sean Keathley address the generational shift in banking, finding Gen Z more focused on advisory experiences and driving banks and credit unions to invest heavily in their branch networks to stay relevan...

In this episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet discuss the resurgence of investment in the bank branch and Adrenaline’s new report “The Branch Advantage: Essential Retail Strategies for Banking Industry Leaders.” Their conversation covers how major banks like PNC, Chase, Bank of America, and others are announcing significant investments in branch expansion and renovation, indicating a broader industry trend. The...

In this episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet spotlight news about how major banks like Chase, PNC, and Bank of America are making significant investments in expanding and renovating their branch networks, demonstrating the continued vitality of the branch channel. They also announce the upcoming report “The Payoff & Process of Branch Investment: Maximizing ROI for Financial Brands,” coming in November, whi...

In this special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet welcome Andrew Hovet, Managing Director at Curinos, a data and insights company that helps financial institutions make better business decisions through advanced analytics, market intelligence, and customer data. In their dynamic discussion, Andrew, Gina, and Juliet discuss how banks and credit unions can leverage data to make informed decisions about ...

In this episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet discuss opportunities and optimism in the banking industry. Following years of retail closures and predictions about the death of the branch, the reality in 2024 is that not only is the bank branch not dead, but in just the last year, the U.S. added more net new branches for the first time in a decade. Branches are just one of the ways banks are seizing opportunitie...

In this episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet discuss the resilience and enduring relevance of the of the branch. Fresh off the stage from her keynote at Future Branches, Gina discusses insights from the industry’s changemakers like Chase and what she heard from banking leaders across the country about the challenges they face with their own branch networks. They talk about the importance of renovating and righ...

In this special episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet look back through the library of episodes to shine a spotlight the enlightening information and insights from Sean Keathley, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Adrenaline. Going back at the launch of the podcast in 2020, during the height of Covid, all the way through early 2024, they pull out some of the best thinking from a truly rich repository that spans t...

In this episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet take on the topic of bank and credit union branding. They discuss their upcoming speaking sessions at the Financial Brand Forum in Las Vegas from May 20-22, and spotlight the new Adrenaline report, the “ROI of Rebranding: Best Practices to Measure Business Value for Financial Brands” available on adrenalinex.com. This report features original research and leading in...

In this special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Gina and Juliet welcome Michael Bell, Partner and Leader of the Financial Institutions Practice at Honigman, LLP, where he has become the nationwide leader and go-to legal adviser for credit unions seeking scale. In their lively conversation on M&A in financial services, Michael discusses the growth outlook for community financial institutions and ways that merger...

In this episode, Adrenaline’s Chief Brand Officer Juliet D’Ambrosio joins Gina Bleedorn as the new cohost of the Believe in Banking podcast, as Sean Keathley, the former CEO of Adrenaline, moves to an advisory capacity to focus on his health. In this discussion, Gina and Juliet explore artificial intelligence in banking and the opportunities it brings to transform banking experiences. They note how the past year has been pivotal as...

In episode two of our two-part Believe in Banking podcast series on growth, Sean and Gina discuss the evolving expectations in banking – from generational demands for advisory experiences to neighborhood variations – all impacting how the branch functions. Their conversation covers how generational life stage differences offer an opportunity for banks to step up and serve, especially as Millennials and Gen Z visit the physical bank...

In episode one of a two-part Believe in Banking podcast series on growth, Sean and Gina kick off the new year with a discussion around how financial institutions are increasing their influence to reach more consumers where they are. From the rising momentum around M&A to organic growth and branching, financial institutions are looking to boost their competitive edge by becoming bigger and stronger. In this renewed environment, ...

In part two of the special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Sean and Gina welcome back Dan Rousseve, Chief Information Officer, and Angie Dvorak, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, of Everwise Credit Union, formerly Teachers Credit Union. They continue the discussion on the credit union’s rebranding journey, including challenges they faced from Covid to change in leadership, both of which had the potential to sta...

In this special guest episode of the Believe in Banking podcast, Sean and Gina welcome Dan Rousseve, Chief Information Officer, and Angie Dvorak, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, of Everwise Credit Union, formerly Teachers Credit Union. In their dynamic discussion, Dan and Angie address the credit union’s storied history and the challenges of operating as Teachers Credit Union as they expanded their membership base beyond thei...