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What is Fraud Investigation in Banking?

By Terry Stroud | Feb 2025 | Comments Off on What is Fraud Investigation in Banking?

Fraud is a big problem in the banking industry, costing banks billions of dollars each year. Criminals use tricks like identity theft, cyber fraud, and money laundering to steal money. As these crimes get more advanced, banks need better ways to catch and stop fraud. That’s where bank forensic investigators come in. Opportunity Group helps…

A Fresh Look at the Equal Credit Opportunity Act

By Terry Stroud | Sep 2024 | Comments Off on A Fresh Look at the Equal Credit Opportunity Act

When most people think of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), they probably think of discrimination. After all, the ECOA, which was passed in 1974, prohibits creditors from denying credit to applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age, because an applicant receives income from a public assistance…

Daubert Challenges to the Admissibility of Non-Scientific Expert Testimony

By Terry Stroud | Sep 2024 | Comments Off on Daubert Challenges to the Admissibility of Non-Scientific Expert Testimony

Ours is a complex world giving rise to legal disputes in areas of specialized knowledge that are difficult for a trier of fact, either a jury or a judge, to understand without the help of experts on the matter in dispute. Judges are responsible for ensuring the integrity of the judicial process and are, therefore,…

Effective Corporate Governance – The First Step in Risk Mitigation

By Terry Stroud | Jul 2024 | Comments Off on Effective Corporate Governance – The First Step in Risk Mitigation

Corporate governance identifies the authorities and responsibilities of the board and senior management in their respective roles to govern the bank’s operations and structure. Corporate governance involves the relationships among the bank’s board, management, shareholders, and other stakeholders. Corporate governance is essential to the safe and sound operation of the bank. Corporate governance includes how…

Prudent Corporate Governance: A Board’s Dilemma

By Terry Stroud | Jul 2024 | Comments Off on Prudent Corporate Governance: A Board’s Dilemma

  This article is based on my experience attending over 300 board meetings for financial institutions and other companies I supervised as a federal regulator. It is intended to more clearly define the roles and duties regarding the practical and steady stewardship of a board of directors, including management of the institution’s information workflow and…

Why Banks Fail?

By Terry Stroud | Jul 2024 | Comments Off on Why Banks Fail?

We have seen three significant bank failures in March, including the second and third largest in US history. Let’s hope April is a better month for banks. The timing of these failures coming so close together was not a coincidence. These events were remarkable in their timing and location, which I will address later. Let…

Expert Witness Work – The Dos and Don’ts?

By Terry Stroud | Jul 2024 | Comments Off on Expert Witness Work – The Dos and Don’ts?

For over a decade, I have served as an Expert Witness on numerous lawsuits. Most of the cases I agree to take are related to my experience as a banking regulator and my experience involving corporate governance issues. My work in this area increased once I obtained the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation. The following…

A Part Time Job with Full Time Responsibility

By | Mar 2020 |

Prepared by Terry L. Stroud – February 2020               A Part Time Job with Full Time Responsibility – Board of Directors Before getting into the specifics of this article, I would like to pose the following question: How does an effective board of directors overcome the limitations associated with the part-time role where the requirements placed…

Separating the Roles for the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer

By | Feb 2020 |

Prepared by Terry L. Stroud – April 2016 The relationship between a company’s board of directors and executive management continues to be an important topic for shareholders, investor groups/activists, and regulatory agencies. As a former banking regulator, I have first-hand knowledge of a regulator’s impact on the commercial banking sector. As most investors and business…

Directors Responsibilities – Ten Commandments

By | Jun 2014 |

Prepared by Terry L. Stroud – June 2014 Over the past 35 years, I have had the unique opportunity to review and analyze a wide variety of businesses during my U.S. based work and my international assignments. As a former federal regulator for the commercial banking and thrift industries (including a ten year period from…

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