Celebrating 20 Years of BankTalkSaltmarsh's Community Banking Events

9/10/2025 - By Nancy Patton

Gallery of 14 Pictures

This week, we were thrilled to welcome over 80 bankers from 33 institutions to the University Club of Tampa for our 20th annual Saltmarsh BankTalk—a milestone event that brought together community banking leaders, industry experts, and trusted partners for one and a half days of learning, networking, and forward-looking discussions.

A Kick Off of Insights & Connections

We kicked off the celebration on Sunday evening with a special dinner and keynote from Shawn O’Brien, President of QwickRate, who shared the latest performance trends and M&A insights shaping the future of community banking. It was the perfect way to set the stage for our premier forum for technology and compliance in community banking.

Technology Takes Center Stage

Monday morning launched with our Technology Funnel, where Stephen Reyes, CISA, CISSP, Saltmarsh IT Partner, led a hands-on demonstration of AI integration with existing tools, showing exactly how banks can use Copilot and Microsoft 365 to automate workflows, enhance productivity, and implement meaningful changes.

Kelli Schultz of Cornerstone Advisors outlined the “Five Pillars” of building a smarter, more competitive bank: Nimble, Differentiated, Opportunistic, Hyper-Efficient, and Data-Driven. She shared strategies for sustaining digital relevance and driving competitive advantage well into the future.

We wrapped up the technology sessions with Erkin Oksel, Founder and CEO of EyesClear, who shared how banks can harness their data as a strategic growth and compliance engine, spotlighting the transformative power of AI.

Diving into Compliance

The afternoon shifted to our Compliance Funnel, led by Saltmarsh Partner Kristen Stogniew, Esq., CFE, who unpacked the latest regulatory actions and audit findings to help answer the big question: “What now?” She also explored how political shifts influence compliance expectations and provided actionable strategies for fortifying BSA/AML programs.

A panel featuring Lisa Hast of Iron Rock Insurance, and Daniel Irby and Joe Cataldo of Crews Bank & Trust, followed, focusing on Florida flood insurance challenges. They explored payment pitfalls and solutions to protect institutions and better serve customers.

Finally, Lorraine Faust, CRCM, Saltmarsh Director of Fair Lending/Fair & Responsible Banking, mapped the current regulatory landscape for fair lending and CRA, highlighting key compliance “speed bumps” and offering practical navigation strategies for complex requirements.

Looking Back & Ahead

As we celebrate 20 years of BankTalk, we remain grateful to the bankers, speakers, and our incredible sponsors—All Clear Systems, Cornerstone Advisors, EyesClear, UFS Technology, and ZKS Law—for making this milestone event possible. Your partnership and support have helped us evolve BankTalk from a small regional gathering into the Southeast’s leading community banking conference.

Here’s to the next 20 years of learning, collaboration, and innovation in community banking!

 

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