Lundquist College finance students traveled to Portland's Fox Tower on May 5 to hear a group of bankers speak on their individual areas of expertise. Agenda topics included lending, regulatory compliance, and community involvement, among other subjects.

Presented by the Oregon Bankers Education Foundation, representatives from Pacific Continental Bank, Northwest Bank, Willamette Valley Bank, Umpqua Bank, Columbia Bank, Banner Bank, and Bank of America led the discussions.

“This event is a great way for students from the Lundquist College of Business to learn about the commercial banking industry as well as to network with senior bankers," said Samuel Kim, who plans to graduate this spring with concentrations in finance and operations and business analytics. “I especially enjoyed hearing from bankers in the compliance department and how one of the ways they utilize data analytic tools is to determine whether a customer account is used for illegal activities."

Added Marcelo Scott, also a spring finance degree candidate, “I was very interested to learn about environmental social governance in banks, and the way banks can positively change and help their communities, such as helping finance environmental-friendly projects through the issuance of green bonds."

For recent graduate Soukpafolo Soro, hearing the president and CEO of Pacific Continental, Roger Busse, discuss the consolidation that is taking place in the banking industry as a result of low interest rates, intense competition, and a restrictive regulatory environment, was particularly eye-opening.

Ellen Bakira, another spring finance degree candidate, discovered a new area of interest.

“I highly appreciated having the opportunity to see an inside look on commercial banking and the varying sections within the industry," she said. “I particularly enjoyed learning about anti money laundering compliance and how banks determine if a violation has been made. It's an area that I didn't know about and am interested to find out more information."

Christopher Constans, who plans to graduate this spring with concentrations in finance and economics, left the event hopeful about his future in his chosen industry.

“I really appreciated how passionate each speaker was about their respective field," he said. “They all thought they had the best job in the world and that's something I think every new graduate is seeking."