Strategy
07/13/2010

Bankers Are Starting to See the Glass Half Full


Things are looking up. The tide of optimism has definitely turned since the first quarter of this year. In our recent survey of bank executives, 45% say they believe the U.S. economy will improve within the next six months. This demonstrates a sizeable increase from the 24% who were similarly optimistic in our first quarter 2010 survey. While the bulk of respondents are still in the camp that believe the economy will likely remain the same over the near term, (44%), we noted a drop by nearly half among those who believe that harder times are still ahead (11%, compared to 20% six months earlier).

Moreover, among those who were asked how well their local economies are faring, a similar strain of optimism is found. Thirty-five percent (compared to 22% in the first quarter) believe their local economy is poised to improve, and only 9% (compared to 18%) believe things will get worse within the next six months.

Compliance concerns remain high. Among the concerns that bank executives have over the next 12 months, regulatory concerns overwhelmingly stand out above the rest. Fully 87% of bank executives ranked regulatory burden as a major concern over the next 12 months—nearly 30 points higher than the next, most pressing concern: exposure to commercial real estate losses (58% ranked it as a major concern.) In third place, but much lower than either of the first two, was a concern over retaining quality talent (37% ranked as a major concern.)

Watch out for commercial real estate. The largest percentage of bank executives surveyed (35%) believe the shoe will drop on commercial real estate values sometime within the next 12 months, but that opinion is far from unanimous. Another quarter of the surveyed group (25%) believes commercial real estate values already have bottomed out; and another 24% believe it will happen in the next six months. Not surprisingly, perspectives on this question have a lot to do with one’s region. Forty-two percent of the central region think their values have already bottomed out, compared to only 10% of bankers in the southern region and 18% of those in the western region who think so.

Who is raising capital? With the regulatory scrutiny placed on capital standards in the wake of the financial crisis, we asked bank executives to tell us their anticipated plans with regard to capital raises in the next 12 months. Less than a quarter of the total surveyed (22%) say it is very likely they’ll go to the market to raise capital, but a higher percentage of those from the still-troubled Southeast (37%) say they’ll do so. The majority (67%) say such action is not likely in the next 12 months. Finally, a small group (11%) said they had already successfully undergone a capital raise.

For the complete survey results and graphic analysis, watch for Bank Director’s third quarter issue mailing later this month.