ABA Insights: The State of Customer Confidence

Interview with James Chessen, Chief Economist for the American Bankers Association It's a frantic, historic time for banking institutions of all sizes, with mergers, acquisitions, failures and federal investment. In an exclusive interview, James Chessen, Chief Economist for the American Bankers Association, speaks about the state of customer confidence at banking institutions, detailing: The top questions banks are receiving from their customers - and the answers they're offering; Ways banking institutions can proactively instill greater confidence; Business priorities for banking leaders heading into 2009. James Chessen is the Chief Economist and Group Director for the American Bankers Association. In this capacity, he oversees two departments: Economic & Policy Research which monitors the financial performance and condition of the banking industry and studies legislative and regulatory issues as they pertain to the banking industry and the Surveys & Statistics group that collects, compiles and analyzes information on topics and issues related to bank operations, bank performance and industry trends. Chessen writes on banking issues and he appears regularly in the print and broadcast media. He has also testified before Congress and federal regulatory agencies on economic and banking issues. Prior to joining the ABA in March 1988, Chessen worked as a financial economist at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and was an assistant professor of economics at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois. Chessen has a Ph.D. and an MA in Economics from Virginia Tech and a BA from the University of Puget Sound.