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Banking with Interest

IntraFi

Banking with Interest, a podcast by IntraFi, features in-depth analysis and insight into the policy changes reshaping the banking industry. With insightful interviews and previews of pending policy challenges, the podcast is an essential listen for anyone connected to the financial services industry.

Banking with Interest is hosted by Rob Blackwell, an award-winning former journalist with more than two decades of experience as an expert on financial services policy. He is now Chief Content Officer and Head of External Affairs with IntraFi.

The show is produced by Sam Navarro, senior principal writer at IntraFi. The podcast theme song was written and produced by Stellar Tracks. The information, views, and opinions expressed during Banking With Interest belong solely to Rob Blackwell and his guests and do not represent those of IntraFi LLC, its directors, management, or employees. Any ideas and strategies contained within the podcast are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal or investment advice.

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28 episodes
weekly
Avg 39 min
English

Episodes 28

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S7 · E33
Thursday · 42 min
What Does Debanking Even Mean Anymore?
Jason Mikula, author of Fintech Business Weekly, examines the OCC's recent debanking report, why the term has become so politicized, and where banks' responsibility to manage risk collides with customers' access to financial services. He also discusses the potential impact of AI agents on bank deposits and warns that some bank-fintech partnerships still face the same recordkeeping problems exposed by the Synapse collapse.
S7 · E32
October 20 · 36 min
How Citi Is Putting AI to Work
Brent McIntosh, Citigroup's chief legal officer and corporate secretary, discusses how one of the world's largest banks is deploying AI, from everyday employee tools to agentic systems used in compliance and fraud prevention. He also talks about how AI could transform anti-money laundering efforts and cybersecurity, the risks of giving AI agents real authority, and why banks, energy companies and tech firms recently launched the Alliance for Critical Infrastructure, a group designed to help combat the growing threat of cyber attacks across industry lines.
S7 · E31
October 14 · 39 min
Congress May Flip. What Actually Changes for Banks?
Cam Fine, former head of ICBA, and Ed Yingling, former head of ABA, break down what different midterm election outcomes could actually mean for banks, from congressional oversight and agency confirmations to crypto, the CFPB and regulatory relief. They also examine whether the Trump administration's bank regulatory changes can endure as control of Congress — and eventually the White House — changes hands.
S7 · E30
October 6 · 39 min
Is CRA Reform Stuck in a Regulatory Doom Loop?
The OCC and FDIC, but not the Fed, have released a new proposal to rework implementation of the Community Reinvestment Act. Is this one liable to stick when the past two have not? Jesse Van Tol, president of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, offers his take, including why he sees this latest effort as deeply flawed because it will weaken community-development obligations for banks nationwide.
S7 · E29
September 29 · 39 min
ICBA's Rainey on Crypto, AI and the Future of Community Banking
ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey discusses the failed Senate vote on crypto market structure legislation, community bank concerns about stablecoin yield, and the broader fight over who gets to compete for deposits under what rules. She also weighs in on how AI could help and hurt institutions, core providers, novel charters, CRA reform and the competitive pressures shaping the future of community banking.
S7 · E28
September 22 · 25 min
How New Reciprocal Deposit Rules Help Community Banks Compete
Community banks have more room to compete for deposits following a new law that changes how reciprocal deposits are treated. Drew Keith of Texas Security Bank, Matt Nightingale of Katahdin Trust, and Kevin King of Saint Louis Bank discuss how it changes their funding options, why reciprocal deposits proved critical after Silicon Valley Bank failed, and what the change means as competition for deposits heats up.
S7 · E27
September 15 · 42 min
Inside Treasury's Push to Reset Bank Regulation
Former Treasury undersecretary Jonathan McKernan explains why the department took a more active role coordinating bank regulation and what officials hoped to accomplish with a broader regulatory reset. He also discusses lessons from the 2023 bank failures, changes to capital, liquidity and AML rules, and how AI could reshape deposit competition and the banking system itself.
S7 · E26
September 8 · 40 min
How Banks Clouded the CLARITY Act's Future
Brendan Pedersen, financial services reporter for Punchbowl News, breaks down why the CLARITY Act's prospects have deteriorated, including a renewed revolt by community banks over stablecoin yield and growing Democratic resistance to the crypto industry. He also discusses whether crypto's political clout is beginning to fade and a potential challenge to Maxine Waters for leadership of the House Financial Services Committee.
S7 · E25
August 4 · 35 min
If AI Can't See Your Bank, Does It Really Exist?
Penny Crosman, American Banker's executive editor for technology, discusses why some banks dominate AI-generated answers while others are nearly invisible, including tackling what community banks can do to improve their visibility.
S7 · E24
July 28 · 47 min
After Vought's Exit, Will CFPB Return to Normal?
Over the past year and a half, Acting CFPB Russell Vought has sought to largely shut down the CFPB by severely cutting staff, stopping enforcement actions and cutting back on supervision. But with the nomination of a new director, Brian Johnson, is that about to change? Alan Kaplinsky, senior counsel at Ballard Spahr and author of the Consumer Finance Monitor blog and host of its weekly podcast, discusses how the CFPB may change and what it will mean for banks.
S7 · E23
July 21 · 44 min
The Affordability Debate Comes for Banks
Lindsey Johnson, president and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association, talks about why affordability concerns are putting renewed political pressure on banks over credit card rates, overdraft and late fees. She also tackles the future of the CFPB, open banking, crypto legislation, agentic AI and why she's optimistic in the fight against fraud.
S7 · E22
June 30 · 50 min
The Big Question for Banks: How Durable Is This Moment?
Brian Gardner, chief Washington policy strategist at Stifel, tackles how durable the Trump administration's fast-moving regulatory and other changes are likely to be for banks. He discusses what banks still misunderstand about Washington, why the M&A environment is improving, what Kevin Warsh's first press conference signaled, and what the midterm elections could mean for bank regulation if Democrats win back one chamber or both.
S7 · E21
June 24 · 44 min
What Policymakers Still Get Wrong About Housing Finance
Michael Bright, CEO of the Structured Finance Association and a former head of Ginnie Mae, joins the show to discuss the state of the U.S. housing finance system nearly two decades after the financial crisis. He explains why he does not think the system is fundamentally broken, what policymakers still misunderstand about the secondary mortgage market, and how issues like GSE reform, Basel III, private credit and fraud could reshape housing finance in the years ahead.
S7 · E20
June 17 · 51 min
Banks Are Asking the Wrong Question About AI
Alex Johnson, founder of Fintech Takes, details why many banks are thinking about AI the wrong way. He updates his views on stablecoins vs. tokenized deposits, discusses why fintech competition remains a potent threat to banks and talks about why the bigger issue may be how customers use AI to make financial decisions.
S7 · E19
June 10 · 43 min
Have Banks Already Lost the Fight Over Stablecoin Yield?
Banks have fought a comprehensive effort to ensure stablecoins cannot offer yield. But the Senate Banking Committee passed a bill that the banking industry still says falls short. Does that mean banks have lost the fight? Will a crypto market structure bill pass this year? Brendan Pedersen of Punchbowl News offers insights into the current and future state of play.
S7 · E18
June 2 · 34 min
The New Push to Refocus Bank Supervision
Andrew Olmem, managing partner of Mayer Brown's Washington office and a former deputy director of the National Economic Council, talks about how the second Trump administration has moved much faster than the first to reshape financial regulation. He discusses why he believes bank supervision became too bureaucratic and too focused on process, how the administration is approaching capital and the Fed, and what stablecoins, the Clarity Act and OCC preemption could mean for the future of the regulatory system.
S7 · E17
May 20 · 44 min
The New Front in the Swipe Fee Fight
Richard Hunt, executive chairman of the Electronic Payments Coalition, discusses the expanding fight over interchange and why the battle is no longer centered only in Washington. He explains what is happening in states like Illinois and Colorado, why the OCC stepped in, and what could happen next in the courts and legislatures.
S7 · E16
May 12 · 40 min
Is this the End of the Chair-Driven Fed?
Nick Timiraos, chief economics correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, discusses the unusually fraught transition now underway at the Federal Reserve. He tackles why Jerome Powell's decision to stay on the board matters, what Kevin Warsh will face if he takes over as chair, and whether the future of the role may be irrevocably altered.
S7 · E15
May 7 · 34 min
AI Is Coming for Bank Deposits
Deposit strategist Neil Stanley sits down with guest host Barb Rehm to discuss how AI is changing depositor behavior, pricing strategy, and the future of bank funding. He explains why static rate sheets and traditional CDs may become increasingly vulnerable as AI tools help customers optimize their cash automatically, and why banks will need more dynamic pricing, personalization, and frontline expertise to stay competitive.
S7 · E14
April 29 · 38 min
The Growing Risk of Rogue AI in Banking
Penny Crosman, executive editor for technology at American Banker, talks about the growing risk of "rogue AI" in banking and why generative and agentic AI have changed the stakes for the industry. She discusses how banks are trying to balance the pressure to adopt AI quickly with the need to control operational, reputational, and cyber risks, including the threat of cascading errors and increasingly powerful models like Anthropic's Mythos.

Showing 1–20 of 28 episodes