Data-Driven Finance: The Financial Intelligence Podcast

In this engaging conversation, Amy Morris, Senior Director at Nacha, dives into the evolving landscape of ACH network rules. With over 15 years in electronic payments, she shares insights on upcoming changes, including a new risk-management package and key compliance deadlines for financial institutions. Amy explains the public rulemaking process and discusses how data and AI are transforming payment behaviors. She provides essential advice for institutions to navigate challenges while adapting to the growing demands of digital transactions.

Our guest on this episode of Data Driven Finance is Theo Vaughn, Director of Product Services at Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners. Prior to his current role, Theo was Chief Experience Officer at Catapult Credit Services and Product Engagement Manager at Agora Data. He is celebrated as someone skilled in the art of cross-collaboration, and product development and management. We explore Theo’s experience guiding products in the finance space, covering such topics as: The approach and philosophy around product directing and product management. Aligning stakeholders around what the best product should be. How do you know what’s “right” for the product? What signals do you take in and take seriously? Scaling technology to match ambitions. What typical organizational needs product directors are finding. Maintaining the balance between human and technological interactions. The challenges product directors tend to face. How connectivity in the financial space leads to product possibilities. The pillars of trust that lead to consumer product adoption and high usage. Is it even possible for product development to keep up with today’s huge and rapid changes?

In this episode of Data Driven Finance, we talk with David Silberman. David is a Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School as well as a Senior Advisor to the Center for Responsible Lending, the Financial Health Network, and other notable organizations. He taught and lectured at Georgetown University and Harvard University, and was the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Associate Director for Research, Markets and Regulation from November 2010 to February 2020. In this episode, we cover such topics as: What the Center for Responsible Lending does Results of some of the Center’s research What the Financial Health Network aims to do What lenders are doing to get better information and data to make better decisions The current problems with credit scores as indicators of credit-worthiness Where technology has (and hasn’t) made the loan application process easier for consumers What lenders are looking for in cash flow data Improving inclusivity while still making responsible loans What defines financial health Advice on wealth building for Gen Z   Some Helpful Links: Center for Responsible Lending Financial Health Network Yodlee

Our guest on this episode of Data Driven Finance is Jeff Cain, VP Fintech Research at Fidelity Investments. Before that he was Head of Partnerships at Brightside and spent eight years at Yodlee. Jeff got his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics at Stanford and a Masters from Harvard. We’re not really talking about Fidelity; we’re going bigger picture and getting Jeff’s personal take on wealth building and tech’s role in that. Topics covered include: How customers can be segmented to track behaviors, demographics, and goals. Are behaviors driving technology or are tech innovations changing what consumers want? How are finserv businesses doing at keeping up with consumer demands and innovating around those? What are the big trends in financial consumer behavior? And likewise, what are the coming trends in fintech? When it comes to the third-party apps and players, what’s going to separate the winners from the losers? Why should banks and financial institutions fully embrace APIs, data sharing, and open banking? What to look forward to and what to be cautious about as we move through 2025.   Helpful Links: Fidelity Center for Applied Technology Jeff Cain on LI

Our guest on this episode of Data Driven Finance is Gretchen Rodriguez, Head of Product for Payments at TD Bank. She approaches products with an entrepreneur’s mindset and has designed and launched products in fintech, e-commerce, cybersecurity, and identity & trust. Gretchen spent time as a Senior Product Manager and Product Owner at eBay, serves on a couple of boards, and is a product adviser to Med Fem Wellness. We talk about emerging payments and the ecosystems that support it. Topics covered include: The way we pay for products and services is changing. Consumer preferences and practices for online payments The ideal end game for payments from a consumer’s point of view. The obstacles still in the way of seamless, superior payment systems. How we can accomplish the interconnectivity required for improved payment experiences. The opportunities open banking offers for opening and funding accounts. Additional benefits of connectivity for business account holders. The payment enhancements that are being explored today. A warning for the banks allowing themselves to fall behind.

Our guests on this episode of Data Driven Finance are Stephen Fishman and Matt McLarty, authors of the book “Unbundling the Enterprise – APIs, Optionality, and the Science of Happy Accidents.” Stephen is North America Field CTO at Boomi and a Strategic Advisor at Revenium, while Matt is Boomi’s Chief Technology Officer. There’s a lot in the book about APIs, what they can power, and how they can be leveraged to create the experiences we’ll be experiencing ahead. Topics covered include: What finance businesses should know about what APIs can do that tech experts already know? Why companies who leveraged APIs early rapidly became some of the biggest in the world. Did you know Google Maps never intended to make their API available to third party developers? Hear why they did. Who are the financial businesses that gave themselves an advantage years ago? What does it mean to “unbundle the enterprise”? How are financial institutions doing in terms of awareness and adoption of API opportunities? What is capability capitalization? Why it’s better for finserv companies to go on offense with optionality than to engage in “reluctant compliance” with regulations. The three methodologies financial businesses need for an effective API strategy. The value in data being non-fungible, non-rivalrous, and experience-dependent. What are the risks of this kind of API-driven digital transformation? Helpful Links Stephen Fiscman Matt McLarty Unbundling the Enterprise book Boomi Yodlee 

Our guest on this episode of Data Driven Finance is Steve Szpytek, SVP and Head of Consumer Product Development at Axos Bank. Axos Bank is a diversified technology-driven financial services company with a well-balanced portfolio of verticals within the bank. Topics discussed include: How technology is moving so fast, there’s always a new product out there to help you service or enhance your platform that needs to be vetted. Balancing what’s available vs. what really going to move the need for customers. The importance of mobile and why 70-75% of Axos Bank’s customers interact with the bank on the mobile app. How connecting accounts provides a better, fuller picture of the customer than the traditional small deposit verification method. The enormous advantages of account linking for personalization and more targeted customer offers. The four pillars that comprise Axos Bank’s strategy: customer/user experience, tracking, training, and communication. The move toward better, easier, faster, simpler loan applications and processing. The vital nature of transparency for trust building. What’s most on the minds these days of those tasked with creating financial customer products. Are physical banks on their way out? Some Helpful Links Steve Szpytek on LinkedIn Axos Bank Envestnet Yodlee

Our guest on this episode of Data Driven Finance is Kat Cloud, Principal Director of Open Banking Compliance at Yodlee. Kat is also a Board member at the Financial Data Exchange, and prior to her time at Yodlee was head of UK Public Policy for Plaid. We discuss open banking compliance, specifically touching on the new CFPB 1033 rule, which is important for all financial institutions to be aware of. Topics covered include: What is open banking? How does it differ from how financial institutions operate today? What has to happen for open banking to reach its full promise? API as the “plumbing” behind financial data connections. What is the CFPB 1033 rule? What kind of data is and isn’t included under the CFPB 1033 rule. What happens if banks don’t meet the CFPB 1033 rule deadlines? What all this means for innovation in finserv and fintech. How are banks responding to both the rule and its timeline? How are all these stakeholders going to achieve true standardization? What does a new administration mean for the CFPB 1033 rule?   Helpful Links CFPB website Open Banking with Yodlee FDX (Financial Data Exchange)

Our guest this episode is Larry Rosenberger, Research Fellow at FICO and formerly CEO and VP of R&D at FICO. The views Larry expresses in this episode are his and not necessarily those of FICO. He’s also an advisor and serves on multiple Boards of Directors for early-stage startups. Larry came out of MIT and the UC Berkeley College of Engineering. We talk about predictive and behavior analytics for decision-making, covering such topics as: How the FICO Score got started. What FICO brings to the financial system beyond the score. What is the Champion/Challengers approach to analytics with a learning element attached? The 3-step method for evaluating where you stand in your career. An overview of predictive analytics. The evolution from predictive only analytics to prescriptive analytics. The four pillars of behavior analytics. Creating conversations that actually work. Some helpful links: Fico.com Larry Rosenberger on LinkedIn Envestnet Yodlee    

Our guest this episode is Avery Miller, VP and Head of Digital Consumer Product and the Avion Rewards Platform at RBC. Avery got his MBA at the University of Richmond and spent time before going to RBC at Capital One and PayPal. We talk about how connected finance impacts shopping and card use and loyalty programs. Topics include: How are financial services organizations doing at keeping up with modern shopper expectations, wants, and needs? How consumer expectations are changing generation to generation. Where the data that powers purchasing and rewards programs comes from. How interconnectivity is being achieved to facilitate shopping and payments. Implicitly and explicitly given data and the proper way to use that data for better consumer experiences. Is the current infrastructure enough to build the connected finance ecosystem of tomorrow? The impact cloud, AI, and quantum computing will have on verifiable sources of trust. What are the odds we can ever get to open banking on a global scale? Helpful Links: Avion Rewards Avery Miller on LinkedIn Envestnet Yodlee