December 30, 2022

CRE has boomed in the last two years. In 2021, CRE sales totaled a record-breaking $809B, and by the end of the year, the value of CRE loans exceeded $2.7T. In its mid-year review of the CRE market, JPMorgan expects a continued positive outlook for the remainder of the year, with forecasts varying depending on the asset class. While strip malls in remote areas and office properties struggle, industrial and multifamily properties are current bright spots in the market.

Climate change and risk management have become a hot-button topic for financial institutions in recent years because of rising concerns from policymakers, international organizations, financial regulators, and many others. This push for a more environmentally friendly world is leading to changes in organizational resources and operations, investor expectations, environmental activists, and even the expectations of the current administration. With all this focus on environmental safety, it is inevitable for financial institutions to consider the impacts and learn how to manage the risk.

Altabank™ Conducts Yearly Book Drive for Intermountain Healthcare’s Reach Out and Read Program Reach Out and Read is all about unleashing the joy and potential of each child,” says Dr. Neal Davis, a pediatrician with Intermountain Healthcare. “The program includes giving an age-appropriate book to children during all well-child visits from six months of age

As the Federal Reserve aggressively hikes interest rates to tamp down inflation, depositors are starting to demand more for their money.
Results from IntraFi’s most recent quarterly survey of bank executives indicate the trend is likely to continue. Ninety-five percent of respondents expect funding costs to go up, and 71% said deposit competition will increase. But this doesn’t mean banks have to let macroeconomic forces or competitors dictate their strategies.

Congratulations to the 2022 graduates of UBA’s Executive Development Program, honored this year at the Bank Executive Winter Conference at the Little America Hotel on Dec. 2, 2022. This was the 10th group to go through the program, and this year’s class of 41 joins an elite group of 299 EDP alumni throughout the state. We are excited to watch them lead the industry into a very bright future!

Altabank Altabank welcomed Rebecca Chavez-Houck to their board of directors in October. Known throughout Utah for her contributions to the nonprofit and governmental sectors, she is a managing member of Aspira Public Affairs, an organization providing community outreach planning, media relations, constituent services development, and women’s leadership training, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups.

The UBA closed its conference year with the Bank Executive Winter Conference at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City on Dec. 2, 2022. Appropriately titled “The New Year Risk Radar,” this year’s event painted a clear picture of where we are as an industry and what lies ahead in 2023.

The “Igniting Leadership” Conference – held Nov. 16, 2022 – brought together nearly 100 Emerging Bank Leaders at the beautiful new Zions Tech Center in Midvale, UT, with another 50 or so joining via Zoom. Attendees heard from an impressive lineup of knowledgeable speakers, taking away practical and actionable lessons to apply at their banks today and into the future.

On July 19, 2021, the regulatory agencies issued Proposed Interagency Guidance on Third-Party Relationships: Risk Management. The proposed guidance consolidates all prior guidance, offers a detailed framework covering all stages in the life cycle of third-party relationships, and takes into account the level of risk, complexity, and size of the bank, as well as the nature of the third-party relationship. While it is unclear when the proposal will be finalized, the principles of sound third-party risk management remain the same.