Recorded at a location near AOBA 2026, this Fintech Hustle episode brings guests Aleda DeMaria (EVP & Chief Operating Officer, PeoplesBank), Mac Thompson (Founder & CEO, White Clay) & Christina Miller (VP, Alkami) for an unscripted hallway conversation on what’s changing right now.

Key topics include:

• Deposit retention after massive outflows and why “acquisition” is not the finish line
• AI everywhere, including fraud, and why banks must fight AI with AI
• Vendor consolidation and the reality of fragmented tech stacks
• Data strategy as a growth engine, not just a compliance tool
• Why the branch still matters and how to modernize the in-branch experience
• The talent challenge for community banks trying to innovate
• A clear warning: community banks should stop trying to build what mega-banks build, and focus on partnerships and execution

Let us know what theme you’re hearing most in your institution right now.

Click to watch more Fintech Hustle!

🔗 https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/fintech-hustle/

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/samkilmer/

Kicking off 2026 with a strategy-focused episode of Fintech Hustle. Sam Kilmer (Managing Director, Cornerstone Advisors) and co-host Kelli Schultz (Principal, Cornerstone Advisors) are joined by Erica Pilon (Head of Strategy, Jack Henry) and Scott Hildenbrand (Chief Balance Sheet Strategist, Piper Sandler) to discuss what’s changing in banking and fintech, and what winners will do differently.

Topics include: vendor strategy and fintech partnerships, stablecoin and payments, customer-first balance sheet thinking, redefining “community,” why bank valuations aren’t reflecting performance, and the missed marketing opportunities banks keep repeating.

What’s your top strategic priority for 2026?

00:00 Intro + 2026 kickoff
01:00 Erica Pilon intro + strategy shifts
05:00 Jack Henry priorities, fintech alliances, ecosystem
09:30 Scott Hildenbrand: ALCO, balance sheet, M&A
12:00 Deposit chaos and customer-first ALCO
14:00 Redefining “community” and loyalty vs trust
17:30 What’s “broken”: integration + standards
24:00 What’s “broken”: marketing and telling the story
29:45 What’s “jazzing” them: stablecoin + opportunity
32:30 Wrap

Click to watch more!
https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/fintech-hustle/

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samkilmer/

Host Sam Kilmer looks back at the year’s most quoted hallway moments—packed with real-world takes on AI (purposeful, not buzzwordy), stablecoins (watch the fiat on/off-ramps), data activation (from “we have it” to “we use it”), and go-to-market alignment. Highlights include an AI reality check from a startup CEO, pragmatic stablecoin guidance from an investing leader, compliance and fraud implications for the AI era, organizing sales + marketing around bookings, and why community FIs must aim for personalization beyond product silos. Plus a few road-warrior stories (Grace Potter sighting, sun-safe merch) to cap a big year.

Links

• Sam Kilmer (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/samkilmer/
  
  
• Fintech Hustle (Cornerstone site): https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/fintech-hustle/
  
  

00:04 Flashback setup: a “greatest-hits-ish” reel—AI, stablecoin, data, GTM
01:23 AI culture shift: a CEO’s take on leaders who hoped to “retire before it hits”
03:06 Stablecoin sanity check (rooftop chat): focus on fiat ↔ stablecoin conversions now
05:07 AI’s compounding edge: “It’s the dumbest it will ever be today”—early adopters win on efficiency, profitability, M&A leverage
07:18 Purposeful AI: define the outcome first (ops efficiency, intimacy, personalization), then pick the tech
08:25 GTM org design: marketing + sales co-own accounts and bookings; content ≠ handoff forms
10:48 Data to action: banks have data—now align strategy, frontline, and offers to actually use it
12:03 Sign-off: community, road notes, and gearing up for 2026’s guest slate