Stephen Lacewell (Required)

Asset/Liability Management provides a basic understanding of a bank’s techniques to measure and manage interest rate risk. Discussion focuses on the responsibilities of a bank’s asset and liability management committee, the sources of interest rate risk, and tools to measure the sensitivity of earnings and market value of equity to changes in interest rates. Topics include: the repricing (GAP) model; duration; economic value of equity; simulation models; and balance sheet adjustment and hedging techniques.

Mike Highfield (Required)

An overview of financial markets and institutions. Topics include the role of intermediaries, the nature and functions of money, a review of the time value of money; the level and structure of interest rates; interest rate risk versus price risk; money market and capital market assets; diversification; and the role of derivative assets in risk management. This course is designed to provide foundational finance knowledge for the remaining coursework at the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.

Brandon Cline (Required)

Monetary Economics is designed to assist the banker in analyzing and explaining economic conditions and forces.  Topics pertain to the entire banking and economic system, but relate directly to risk management, A/L composition, and other decisions made within the bank.  The course addresses the effects of policy decisions on financial markets; it takes participants “inside” the Federal Reserve as they learn how monetary decisions are made and implemented.  The course provides a practical framework for determining how fiscal and monetary policies affect global, national, and local economies.  Other topics include: economic measures and indicators, regulation, interest rate risk, and the trade-offs associated with economic decision making.

John Oxford, CFMP (Required)

Strategic Bank Marketing  – In a conservative and commoditized industry that provides the market place with little choice due to product parity and regulatory restrictions, how do you make your bank stand out?

From marketing strategy and targeting to brand management, technology and budgeting, participants will develop an understanding of modern bank marketing and take home fresh ideas and tactics on how to make their bank stand out in a sea of sameness.

Upon completion of this course, the participant should have a basic understanding of modern bank marketing, branding, promotions, budgeting, public relations and applicable tactics.  This course will take a deep and exciting dive into the four “Cs” of modern marketing:  Content, Connection, Conversion and Campaigns.

Carl J. Chaney (Required)

The Bank Regulatory Law course is designed to assist bankers in meeting the challenges of the rapidly changing regulatory environment. Topics include regulatory enforcement actions, mergers and acquisitions (including FDIC assisted deals), bank secrecy act, C.R.A., fair lending, bankruptcy, lender liability, and survival tactics for the new financial services industry. Attention is also given to current and proposed legislation as well as discussing the future of the financial services industry.

Rhoshunda Kelly (Required)

The Evaluating Bank Financial Condition course is the complement to the Managing Bank Performance course and will introduce the methodology of assessing a bank’s financial safety and soundness through CAMELS analysis.  The CAMELS discussion will also highlight the interrelatedness of these core areas of bank operations.  Students will learn how to effectively evaluate their bank’s financial condition and develop a risk profile using the Uniform Bank Performance Report.

This course will briefly discuss the fundamentals of bank supervision and explain how the adequacy of CAMELS impacts regulatory compliance and the overall strength of banks.  The course is intended to provide students with a holistic view of bank operations and related risks.

Paul S. Allen (Required)

Managing Bank Performance focuses on two facets of measuring and managing bank performance, and all models, strategies, and discussions prepare students for the Bank Management Simulation course which is completed in the third year of the school. The first portion of Managing Bank Performance identifies the various drivers of bank performance which includes measurement of the drivers and discussions as to how the drivers can be used in concert with each other to achieve the desired goals of profitability. Additional discussions demonstrate how and why these drivers differ between banks of different sizes in the banking industry.

The objective of the second portion of the course is to identify the various risks faced by banks and to develop strategies for managing these risks for the purpose of achieving greater returns. The primary risk subjects to be discussed include interest rate, liquidity, credit, and operational risks. The course includes extensive discussion of Asset/Liability Management modeling inputs and outputs, including the development of assumptions, and the ALM models are presented from the viewpoints of bank management and bank regulatory oversight. Financial derivatives as used in managing bank risk are also presented.

Chad Tagtow (Required)

Risk Management and Cybersecurity is designed to equip bankers with the tools to recognize and manage risk in a rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape. Banking is all about managing risk. Today’s banker needs to understand the unique risks and threats in today’s cyber-world due to rapid advances in technologies that are critically leveraged in every area of the bank. Topics include managing risk, risk assessment process, risk appetite, cyber-insurance, vendor management, law and regulations, emerging threats, business continuity planning, and incident response. Specific attention is given to breaches, ransomware, phishing, advanced persistent threats, corporate account takeover, and cloud security.

Ernest W. Swift (Required)

Bank Management Simulation utilizes a computer-based learning exercise designed to give participants an overview of the bank management decision-making process.  Students develop strategies for the management of functional bank areas, with specific emphasis on planning and decision-making in areas such as loans, deposits, investments, funds management, asset/liability management, risk management, etc.  The primary focus is on profitability and growth, but attention also is directed to marketing, the pricing of bank services—both current and future, and the management of risk.

The senior class is divided into teams, with each team effectively managing an $800 million dollar bank.  The computer model allows students to make decisions, to receive quick feedback on the effectiveness of their decisions, and then to make new decisions which adjust bank operations to compensate for a large number of internal and external forces including competition, the economy, and regulatory constraints.  Within a two-week period, simulation teams experience the equivalent of two years of bank operations.

The course is supervised by qualified instructors who have extensive real-world banking experience as CEOs, presidents, or examiners.  The computer model, (BMSim) or Bank Management Simulation, was developed by the ABA and currently is maintained by a consortium of regional banking schools.

Rita Floyd (Required)

Banking on Leadership – This course is designed to instruct bankers on the importance of being effective leaders inside and outside their organization by touching on various topics to include ethical leadership, effective communication, positive impact, performance coaching, dealing with conflict and being good stewards in the community.

Bankers should walk away with a better understanding of who they are as individuals and how they can impact others inside and outside their organizations.  They should be able to identify potential career derailers and be able to determine their effectiveness as a leader.

David M. Kohl and Thomas H. Payne (Required)

The commercial banker must interpret domestic and global change and adjust to changing business conditions in all aspects of banking practice.  Bankers are provided with the practical knowledge and basic tools needed to assess the overall economy and its effect on institutional risk and financial performance.  The course includes an analysis of major banking trends associated with economic, competitive, regulatory, political, and social change.  Special attention is given to aspects of economic indicators, both domestic and globally, that impact bankers’ decision making and strategic planning processes.

Stephen R. Robichaux (Required)

Is it as important to be an effective leader outside your organization as it is inside your organization? Is there such a thing as ethical. The banking industry is in the spotlight and Leadership in Times of Change engages the participants in an interactive learning process aimed at leading through the current crisis. Leadership theories that have dominated our thinking and practice for the last century are presented and summarized into a relevant whole that provides a firm foundation for today’s leaders. Leadership styles are presented and assessed, and leadership levels are linked to effectiveness in today’s tough markets. Exercises and tools for leading organizational change are presented to help leaders succeed in today’s complex organizations and business environment. A model for personal leadership development is presented for participants to continue their life-long process of growth.