What does it take to innovate in banking today? How do institutions balance cutting-edge technology with customer trust and regulatory responsibility?

In this episode of Consumer Lending Perspective, guest Marc Butterfield, SVP of Market Expansion and New Product Development at First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO), joins Jeff Bogan, host, to explore digital transformation, consumer lending, and the role of AI in reshaping operations and credit modeling.

“It comes back to understanding the what and the why. When you recognize it, if you're clear on the what and the why, as well as the outcomes you wish to achieve, the further you stray from that, and you realize, I'm just trying to get this done; that's not the reason we should be doing it. That's when it becomes crucial to be honest with yourself and your team. The lies you can tell yourself are monumental.” - Marc Butterfield

Marc shares how ​becoming a “forcing agent” and ​listening to stakeholders​, especially the qualitative component of feedback,​ drives innovation and more intelligent decisions.

From machine learning in credit modeling to piloting generative AI for employee support, his conversation with Jeff touches on real-world technology use in a regulated space.

Together, they also cover trends such as, tokenized payments and digital wallets, with insights on data infrastructure​, partner data, data engineering,​ and ​venn diagrams​. Listen to learn more! Follow the podcast for episode notifications.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• (00:00) Opening and introduction
• (01:16) Marc Butterfield explains how he earned the American Bankers Innovators of the Year Award
• (03:22) Marc talks about digital innovation, expanding consumer lending, and partnerships
• (09:24) Discussion of the philosophy of banking transformation and technology, and advice on how to get the stakeholders' buy-in
• (17:45) AI machine learning is helping employee efficiency and internal discussion on initiatives regarding credit cards
• (27:00) The future of banking and Marc’s view on the tariffs and stock markets

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Listening to all stakeholders, such as customers, partners, and employees, drives better product development in digital innovation and banking transformation. Clear goals help guide teams, but flexibility in execution allows for innovation and growth.
• AI and machine learning are transforming banking operations and credit modeling, mainly within consumer lending. Tools like internal chat systems boost employee efficiency while maintaining a focus on data security and compliance.
• Before rolling out AI to customers, banks must build internal expertise and guardrails.
• As digital tools like stablecoins and tokenized payments evolve over time, strong data infrastructure becomes key to sustaining innovation in a rapidly changing financial landscape.

Jeff Bogan - LinkedIn

Marc Butterfield - LinkedIn

FNBO - Website

ABOUT THE GUEST:

As the SVP of Market Expansion and New Product Development at FNBO, Marc Butterfield leads innovation, oversees the Market Expansion Team, and spearheads new product initiatives within FNBO’s Partnership division. Marc holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, specializing in marketing, from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His journey started at Nexterna, a wireless technology startup owned by Union Pacific Railroad. With a career at FNBO that began in 2001, Marc has held pivotal leadership roles in Digital Banking, Marketing, Consumer Lending, Credit Risk, and Product Development. His recent projects include the launch of the consumer digital banking app Milli, the innovative transaction enrichment service Ordem, the versatile card-as-a-service platform Bend, and the cutting-edge digital calving book with a visual-based learning algorithm, Cattle ID. Marc has earned the prestigious American Banker’s Innovators of the Year award (2023). He is an active member of the ABA’s Innovation Committee and Investment Committee. Marc is also the recipient of the Key to the City of Omaha!