The Risk Intel Podcast

SRA Watchtower's Risk Intel Podcast has become a leading resource for financial institutions and risk professionals seeking actionable insights into enterprise risk management (ERM). Hosted by Ed Vincent, CEO of SRA Watchtower, the podcast covers critical topics such as integrated risk management, data governance, and the role of technology in transforming risk practices. Whether you're a seasoned CRO or just stepping into the risk management field, these episodes provide valuable expertise from industry leaders. To wrap up season 2, we issued a poll to our audience and internal team members to find out what everyone's top 10 episodes were from 2024. Ed hosted SRA Watchtowers, VP of Marketing and producer of the Risk Intel Podcast, Ryan Donelson, and Niki White, Chief Growth Officer to walk us through the top 10 list and share their key takeaways. Follow us to stay in the know!

Season 2 | Ep. 51: Using Data as a Strategic Asset (Part 2) Governance FrameworksFollow us to stay in the know!

In season two's 50th episode of The Risk Intel Podcast, host Ed Vincent, sat down with Jeff Fink, CEO and Co-founder of Lumio Insight, to share his view on the evolving role of data in financial institutions. Drawing on his extensive experience in data management, Jeff outlined how organizations can transform data into a strategic asset, unlocking its full potential to improve customer experiences, enhance operational efficiency, and manage risk effectively. Listen to the full episode to learn more!Follow us to stay in the know!

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In this Risk Intel Podcast, Ed Vincent sat down with Ian Moloney, SVP of Policy and Regulatory Affairs, and Hayden Cole, Director of Federal Government Affairs from the American FinTech Council (AFC), to analyze what the 2024 election results mean for financial services regulation, enforcement, and bank-FinTech partnerships. They explored expected regulatory shifts, changes in congressional leadership, and proactive strategies for financial institutions navigating these transitions. Every risk manager and financial institution leader should listen. Follow us to stay in the know!

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In the latest episode of the Risk Intel Podcast, Phil Goldfeder, CEO of the American Fintech Council (AFC) joined host Ed Vincent to delve into the evolving relationship between banks and fintech firms. Ed and Phil connect on the latest comment letter the AFC submitted in response to the joint Request for Information on Bank-Fintech Arrangements Involving Banking Products and Services Distributed to Consumers and Businesses (RFI) by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (FRB or Federal Reserve), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) collectively referred to as the “Joint Agencies”.Listen to the full episode, as Phil and Ed discuss the best practices and key takeaways from this RFI by the Joint Agencies. Follow us to stay in the know!

Happy Halloween! This special episode of the Risk Intel podcast features scary stories of risk management. Coming from real-life experiences from our team member’s days in banking. Host, Ed Vincent, is joined by Shawn Ryan, Beth Nilles, Niki White, Megan Turcios, Trent Terry, and Cathy Jackson for a series of short spooky stories. Curl up with a nice cider and get ready to hear the dark side of risk management, along with some tips to ensure you don’t end up a scary story yourself!Follow us to stay in the know!

Effective risk management reporting is essential for decision-making, regulatory compliance, and overall institutional success. Whether you're considering licensing a third-party risk Intelligence solution or building your own reporting framework, understanding key principles and data perspectives will guide you toward a robust, scalable system. Sam Utz, SRA Watchtower Product Analyst joined host Ed Vincent on this episode of the Risk Intel podcast to explore foundational aspects of reporting such as data governance, creating an infrastructure, configurability vs customization, and breaking down the differences between shallow and deep views of data that financial institutions should prioritize. Tune in to listen to the full episode on building a strong foundation for risk reporting. Follow us to stay in the know!

In this episode of Risk Intel, host Ed Vincent, CEO of SRA Watchtower, is joined by Shawn Ryan, CFO of SRA Watchtower, and Niki White, CGO of SRA Watchtower to discuss the importance of natural disaster preparedness within financial institutions. As climate risks grow and on the heels of two back-to-back hurricanes, financial entities must be proactive to help strengthen their risk management frameworks to protect key assets and ensure operational resilience. Many people have been significantly impacted by the recent hurricanes Helene and Milton. Please find the below link to donate to the American Red Cross to support those impacted. https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/Follow us to stay in the know!

In this episode of the Risk Intel podcast, the host of the show and SRA Watchtower’s CEO, Edward Vincent, welcomed Amitabh Bhargava, Senior Managing Director of Credit Portfolio Management for SRA Consulting back to the show to continue the conversation from last week on the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2024 Farm Sector survey released in September 2024. The two discussed the implications for risk management in the agricultural sector, diving deeper into credit risk, how climate change can impact farm and aglending, and also discussed non-credit risks.Follow us to stay in the know!

The U.S. agricultural sector is facing a challenging transition. Following a period of record profitability in 2021 and 2022, the latest USDA 2024 Farm Sector Income Forecast released in September of 2024, projects a continuing decline in farm income. According to Amitabh Bhargava, a seasoned expert in credit risk and portfolio risk management, farm incomes dropped nearly 29% in 2023 and are expected to fall another 9-10% in 2024. This decline represents a slowing of the income reduction but signals continued financial stress for farmers across the nation. Listen to the conversation where host Ed Vincent asks Amitabh to dive into the trends from the recent survey data.Follow us to stay in the know!

In episode 40 of the Risk Intel podcast, host Edward Vincent sat down with Sharon Campbell, VP of Client Services at SRA Watchtower, to explore the evolving role of client services in the SaaS industry. Today’s client services teams do much more than just manage or implement software — they’re instrumental in driving successful client outcomes, integrating risk management solutions, and aligning these tools with business strategy. Sharon’s extensive experience in leading client-facing teams in financial institutions and SaaS companies positions her as an expert on how a service-driven approach can empower banks and financial firms to meet their risk management goals. In this episode, she dives into key strategies for integrating client feedback, creating efficient onboarding processes, and helping banks and credit unions adopt risk intelligence platforms with little to no IT dependency. Follow us to stay in the know!

In today’s fast-paced business environment, understand the client journey is more critical than ever. No matter what industry you’re in, understanding how to guide clients through every phase of their experience can make or break your organization’s success. In part two of this Client-Driven Success series of the Risk Intel Podcast, Ed Vincent, CEO of SRA Watchtower, sits down with Sharon Campbell, the leader of Client Services, to explore how a proactive approach to the client journey can lead to long-term success, advocacy, and strong partnerships. Listen as we dive deeper into how organizations can enhance their client journey and the importance of engaging "early and often." Follow us to stay in the know!

In this episode of the Risk Intel podcast, host Edward Vincent sat down with Sharon Campbell, VP of Client Services at SRA Watchtower, to explore the essential components of a successful client-led organization. Sharon’s extensive experience in leading client-facing teams across financial institutions and SaaS organizations positions her as an expert on how businesses can elevate their client services to deliver outstanding results. Throughout the conversation, Sharon shares valuable insights on how she has built a client-first culture at SRA Watchtower, differentiating between client services, client experience, and client success. She also speaks about the critical role of feedback in shaping client relationships. Tune in to listen to the full episode!Follow us to stay in the know!

In this episode of the Risk Intel Podcast, SRA Watchtower CEO, Ed Vincent teams up with Niki White, Chief Growth Officer to explore the concept of "starting where you are" in risk management. This discussion sheds light on how organizations can overcome the common paralysis that can come with over-planning and how to take actionable steps toward effective risk management. Follow us to stay in the know!

In today's complex financial landscape, effective risk management is critical for the stability and success of any financial institution. Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) teams play a central role in this process, ensuring that organizations are well-protected against potential risks while maintaining compliance with regulatory standards. But how exactly does GRC fit into the broader picture of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and how does GRC differ from the Audit function? This Risk Intel episode features Cathy Jackson, Director or Implementations at SRA Watchtower, who answers four key questions to help you understand the responsibilities of the GRC and Audit teams, how they operate, and how they integrate with ERM. Give it a listen to learn more.Follow us to stay in the know!

In this episode of the Risk Intel podcast, host Ed Vincent, invites Niki White, Chief Growth Officer at SRA Watchtower, back to the show to discuss the critical differences between enterprise risk management (ERM) and the audit functions within a financial institution. The discussion centers on the three lines of defense model, a widely recognized framework in risk management. Here’s a breakdown of how ERM and audit functions differ across each line of defense and technology's role in enhancing these functions. Follow us to stay in the know!

In this episode of the Risk Intel Podcast, Claire Jordan, SRA Watchtower’s Vice President of Product joins host Ed Vincent to explore the critical role of Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) in enabling risk-informed strategic and operational decisions within financial institutions. The episode dives into the nuances of how different stakeholders consume KRIs and how effective dashboards and reports can support this process. Follow us to stay in the know!

In the latest Risk Intel Podcast episode, Edward Vincent, CEO of SRA Watchtower, hosts an enlightening discussion with Cathy Jackson, Director of Watchtower Implementation, and Claire Jordan, VP of Product. This episode is a deep dive into best practices for evolving an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program, focusing on regulatory guidance, quantitative vs. qualitative metrics, peer data, and risk appetite.Follow us to stay in the know!