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Artwork for Main Street Banking: A Podcast for Community Bankers

Main Street Banking: A Podcast for Community Bankers

Barret School of Banking
Community Banking
Federal Reserve
Artificial Intelligence
Community Banks
Interest Rates
Fintech
Inflation
Treasury Management
Bond Market
ICBA Securities
Leadership Development
Banking Education
Six Arrows Consulting
CRA Support Services
BSA
AML
Ella the Banker
Regulation In Banking
Bank Simulation
Leadership

The Paul W. Barret, Jr. School of Banking is a non-profit independent school created by and governed by a Board of Regents, whose members are executives from banks and other firms involved with the financial services industry.The mission of the School is to provide an adult learning experience for the career-oriented individual in commercial banking or a related financial services industry busines... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes269Founded8 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Business

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Artwork for Main Street Banking: A Podcast for Community Bankers

Latest Episodes

The college in your market is probably one of the largest employers on your commercial list, and most community banks have no relationship with it. T. Ramon Stuart, president of WVU Tech, and Bill Loving at Pendleton Community Bank built one anyway, ... more

The FDIC and OCC have a CRA proposal out. The Federal Reserve hasn't signed on. Shaun Harms joins the show to separate what's in the text from what's circulating on LinkedIn. Harms is a principal and regional sector leader over the consulting practic... more

I really like getting to tell the stories of interesting banks I find along the way. Sonata Bank is one of those banks that's just a cool story. The CEO, Wendell Bontrager, is an interesting guy and I really enjoyed our chat. I think you will to.

There's a lot of "meat and potatoes" on today's episode. A lot of points made and shifts in how to think. It's a lot for one episode if I'm being honest. But, that's ok. It's the start of a new way of thinking in my opinion. I hope you enjoy listenin... more

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Recent Guests

Dr. T. Ramon Stuart
President of West Virginia University Tech
West Virginia University Tech
Episode: Communiversity — What Pendleton Community Bank and WVU Tech Built
Shaun Harms
Principal and regional sector leader over consulting practice in compliance and BSA
Forvis Mazars
Episode: CRA Is Moving Again — What's Actually in the Proposal
Wendell Bontrager
CEO of Sonata Bank
Sonata Bank
Episode: Sonata Bank: Culture, AI, Payments...and much more!
Laura Wetherill
Treasury management expert, founder of TrustSend
TrustSend
Episode: CommunityBankers.AI: New Conversations around Treasury Management and AI
Cory Cacciola
AI thinker, marketing strategist with Barret and various tech firms
Independent/Barret collaboration
Episode: CommunityBankers.AI: New Conversations around Treasury Management and AI
Jim Reber
Executive with the Baker Group, providing community banking perspectives
The Baker Group
Episode: Main Street Banking Economic Update May 2026
Matthew Farrell
Director of Ag Services with Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance, expert in farm programs.
Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance
Episode: Understanding The New Government Programs for Ag Lenders
Dave Sidon
Former banker and CPA with extensive consulting experience in banking operations and education
Novice Group
Episode: Want to take another shot at Bank Sim?
Justin Muscolino
Founder of High Risk Education, expert in compliance training and a faculty member at Barret School of Banking.
High Risk Education
Episode: Stable Coins: Justin Muscolino With High Risk Education

Host

Byron Earnhardt
Host of Main Street Banking Podcast for Community Bankers; Programming Director at Barret School of Banking; affiliated with Barret School of Banking

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 33 ratings
  • Engaging actionable!

    Whether you’re just getting started in your banking career or well-established in the financial services industry, there’s much to be learned from this podcast! Each episode features engaging interviews packed with actionable tips and insights into the current banking landscape. Highly recommend tuning in!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    oliviabaker13
    United States5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests bring diverse expertise from AI to governance.
High-quality interviews with clear takeaways for implementation.
Engaging and actionable insights for bankers at all levels.
Listeners appreciate practical tips and real-world banking examples.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Communiversity — What Pendleton Community Bank and WVU Tech Built
Q: Like, what does Communiversity look like from the university side, and how do you approach a community bank like Pendleton to build it?
The guest explains the Communiversity concept as a partnership where the university and local banks collaborate on financial literacy, student opportunities, and community development, emphasizing the need to think bigger than individual institutions.
Communiversity — What Pendleton Community Bank and WVU Tech Built
Q: So tell us a little bit about yourself, how you got to West Virginia University Tech, and more importantly, how you got mixed up with Bill Loving and Pendleton.
Dr. Stuart shares his background from southern West Virginia, his progression through higher education, and how his paths intersected with Pendleton Community Bank through a shared vision of community-building and education.
Sonata Bank: Culture, AI, Payments...and much more!
Q: What governance practices are in place for AI usage?
AI governance mirrors the bank's risk management for other vendors, including ethics policies, security measures, and a contained enterprise environment to protect client data.
Sonata Bank: Culture, AI, Payments...and much more!
Q: How is AI being integrated without replacing staff?
AI is treated as a force multiplier to grow the organization with the same number of people, focusing on underwriting automation, data integration, and treasury workflows while maintaining governance and risk controls.
Sonata Bank: Culture, AI, Payments...and much more!
Q: What makes Sonata Bank's model niche-focused, and how does it fit into community banking?
Sonata Bank targets the franchise restaurant sector and their employees, leveraging treasury services to scale nationally from a single Brentwood location, which differentiates them from traditional lending-centered banks.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Household Income
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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program consistently centers on community banking, fintech innovation, governance, and practical leadership in financial services. Across episodes, listeners gain hands-on guidance on AI adoption in banking, treasury management for community institutions, and strategic leadership for CFOs and bank executives, with real-world case studies from niche banks, educational simulations, and regulatory perspectives. A standout throughline is the emphasis on human-centric technology, governance, and actionable frameworks that help community banks compete with larger institutions while serving local communities. Notable strengths include practical playbooks for AI prompting and governance, treasury-driven differentiation, and leadership developm... more

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These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. The Community Bank Podcast
2. ABA Banking Journal Podcast
3. Barron's Streetwise
4. Odd Lots
5. WSJ What’s News

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this podcast launched 8 years ago and published 269 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Dr. T. Ramon Stuart
2. Shaun Harms
3. Wendell Bontrager
4. Laura Wetherill
5. Cory Cacciola
6. Jim Reber
7. Matthew Farrell
8. Dave Sidon

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