Bankers Report High Expectations for 2018

"The expected increase in business by banks indicates not only that bankers believe that good things are in store for them, but also that they think the economy overall is headed in a positive direction," said Mark Jacobsen, President and CEO of Promontory Interfinancial Network. "Combined with tax reform in late 2017 and consecutive jobs reports that have exceeded economists' expectations in 2018, the optimism seems justified."

The Bank Confidence Index^SM, which is calculated by measuring bankers' expectations for access to capital, loan demand, funding costs, and deposit competition over the next 12 months, ended 2017 at 50.5. This is a marked increase from Q2 2017 (47.6) and Q3 2017 (48.1), indicating that bankers have become more optimistic about the future. Charted on a scale of 0-100, a score over 50 can be read as expansionary – meaning that overall projections have crossed from contractionary to expansionary territory.

Access to capital is expected to be strong this year. At year-end, more than 37% of respondents said their outlook had improved.

Expectations for loan demand were near an all-time high, with 64% foreseeing an increase—a nearly seven-point increase from Q1 2017.

Overall economic conditions are expected to improve over the next 12 months, according to nearly 65% of respondents. This represents an 18-point increase from the start of 2017 and is the highest level recorded since Promontory Interfinancial Network began tracking this indicator.

Two areas where bankers show less optimism are deposit competition and funding costs. Eighty percent of respondents expect deposit competition to increase this year—a 15-point increase since the beginning of 2017. Nearly 89% of bankers foresee higher funding costs in 2018.

About the Survey
The Bank Executive Business Outlook Survey is completed on a quarterly basis and incorporates responses from hundreds of unique banks as provided by bank CEOs, presidents, and CFOs from across the country. The survey is published by Promontory Interfinancial Network. Data is released every quarter. Access the Promontory Interfinancial Network Bank Executive Business Outlook Survey reports online at www.promnetwork.com/bank-survey.

About Promontory Interfinancial Network, LLC
Promontory Interfinancial Network was founded by leading figures in the banking industry—Eugene Ludwig, Alan Blinder, Mark Jacobsen, and Alfred Moses—to provide financial institutions with profit-enhancing solutions. The founders envisioned the largest bank network of its kind, whose "synthetic size" would help each member institution to compete more efficiently. More than 3,000 financial institutions have chosen to be a part of the company's Network. Network members use Promontory Interfinancial Network's balance sheet and liquidity management solutions to acquire and retain large-dollar customer relationships, purchase funding, reduce collateralization costs, and buy and sell bank assets.

Media Contact
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[email protected]
(703) 292-3357

SOURCE Promontory Interfinancial Network

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