DALLAS--The first day of ALM First’s Financial Institute kicked off Monday at The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas with an Economic Overview tailored specifically to financial institutions.
ALM First’s Chief Investment Officer, Jason Haley, discussed current market themes impacting financial institutions in 2026.
Despite private credit worries, lingering inflation risk, growing AI disruption concerns and the uncertainty of the broader geopolitical climate, financial institutions have had another solid year, he told attendees.
“One big question is whether business investments will continue to recover,” said Haley.
While the market has already priced in one to two rate cuts during the remainder of 2026, the probability of a rate hike is no longer at zero. Regardless of the unknown future direction of rates, Haley updated attendees on key industry trends including the differences between prime and non-prime auto delinquency rates along with pockets of weakness in 2022-23 FHA mortgages even as overall mortgage delinquency rates remain historically low.
Alec Hollis, CFA, principal; Brent Lytle, CFA, managing director, Advisory Services; and Dale Klein, senior director, CPST policy and regulation for ALM First presented a general panel discussion on Depository Trends & Regulatory Priorities in 2026. Strong depository earnings and the highest average Net Interest Margins (NIM) in 20 years along with overall delinquency and rolling 12-month loss rates at their highest points in over a decade set the stage for the discussion. On the regulatory side, supervision is shifting to a targeted, risk-focused model with more responsibility shifting towards institutions to identify risks before exams and have appropriate governance models in place.
The last general session of the morning wrapped up with an interactive discussion with ALM First’s executive team regarding the Themes That Matter Most before attendees broke off into their chosen learning tracks. The learning tracks: Board, Fundamental, and Funds Management, which includes two specialized paths concentrated on Portfolio Management and Balance Sheet Management, are customized to meet the knowledge level of attendees and best serve their role within the institution.
This year, a record-setting 215 financial professionals are attending the in-person event, which was designed to equip attendees with the tools and strategies needed to confidently manage asset liability management (ALM) and balance sheet complexities in today’s fast-paced financial environment, ALM First said.
More information about ALM First’s Financial Institute, the upcoming 2026 Financial Forum in September and other educational events can be found at www.almfirst.com.