NJBankers Economic Leadership Forum: A Day of Insights & Impact

Thank you to everyone who attended our 15th Annual Economic Leadership Forum last week. The event focused on the key drivers shaping New Jersey's economy and the challenges and opportunities ahead. 

The day began with Matt Colyar, an economist with Moody’s Analytics, giving an economic outlook, including the impact of tariffs, interests rates, AI, jobs, and more.

This was followed by an engaging panel on the film industry in NJ led by Karen Kessler, commissioner of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission (above). Nick Maniatis of Netflix explained how they are building a state of the art studio at Fort Monmouth, and compared the studio to a small city, which will need businesses to supply lumber, clothing, hardware, and much more. “It’s going to be great for the economy,” he said.

Ron Shevlin of Cornerstone Advisors focused on AI, data, and tokenization. He stressed the importance of education before making changes and investments in AI, and the need for quality data, which directly affects your AI strategy.

Addressing capital strategy, Adam Mustafa of Invictus Analytics said that New Jersey banks - given how competitive the landscape is - need to win on the margins and have to look under every rock. “This includes capital. You’d be surprised how much capital you’d find if you looked under every rock.”

Jeffrey Otteau of the Otteau Group, Inc. (below) closed out the day with a session focused on NJ’s real estate and lending outlook.

He told attendees that the economy is now growing and is certain to accelerate as we head deeper in 2026, adding that vibrant economies are good for real estate markets. NJ real estate markets, he added, are performing better than they have in more than a decade.

Thank you again to our Economic Leadership Forum sponsors for making the event possible.

To view more photos from the event, click here. 

To read the ROI-NJ article on the film industry panel and view a video about the event, click here. 

To read the BINJE article on Jeffrey Otteau's session, click here. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Time's running out!

Retail Banking Conference
March 19, 2026

Performance Management and Creating a “No Excuses” Sales Environment
March 30, 2026

Understanding Bank Performance Program
Begins April 2, 2026

120th Annual Conference & Exhibit Hall

May 6-8, 2026

Save the Date

Mid-Career Conference
April 9, 2026

Banking on Women Conference
June 4, 2026

Annual Bankers Cup Golf Outing
June 16, 2026

See NJBankers.com for more event information

Congratulations Jenn Zorn! 
NJBIZ 2026 Leaders in Finance Award

Jenn Zorn, NJBankers Executive Vice President, is being honored as one of the NJBIZ 2026 Leaders in Finance!

Jenn is an integral part of our association, whose tenure spans nearly three decades. She has held many different positions through the years, and is instrumental in planning our events, business development, and more, helping our members grow their careers and their connections.

Jenn joins a fantastic class of honorees, including a number of NJBankers members who work tirelessly to strengthen our state's banking industry. Congratulations to all!

To view all the honorees, click here.

NJBankers Volunteer Event at Community FoodBank of NJ Demonstrates How ‘Bankers Care’ for their Communities

NJBankers hosted an Emerging Leaders Network Volunteer Day at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey’s Hillside warehouse on February 27, as part of our Bankers Care initiative focused on the power of giving back.

About 40 NJBankers members assembled 280 senior boxes and packed 920 bags of pasta. In addition, the NJBankers Charitable Foundation presented the food bank with a $1,500 donation in support of the event and the Bankers Care initiative, which was launched in NJ late last year. 

Initiated by the Washington Bankers Association, Bankers Care is a nationwide movement that highlights the different ways banks support residents - from financial education and volunteering to supporting local nonprofits and small businesses.

To learn how your bank can become a Bankers Care bank, please contact Brittany Wheeler at bwheeler@njbankers.com. 

NJBankers Seen on Social

March 4, 2026: 

Follow NJBankers for the latest industry news, events, celebrations, and more!

Endorsed Provider Happenings
An Endorsed Service Provider has an exclusive relationship with NJBankers for their products and services. 

Read the Abrigo blog post "Survey: What’s top of mind for financial institution leaders in 2026" here. 

Read the Compliance Alliance article "SBA Lending in a Changing Risk Environment: What Compliance Officers Should Be Watching Now" here. 

Join S&P Global Market Intelligence on March 18 for the unveiling of the 2025 national bank and credit union rankings, and regional community bank rankings. During this webinar, they will release the full lists and review the methodology and data from Capital IQ Pro used to rank the community banks, credit unions and largest U.S. public banks. Register here. 

March Featured Providers

Member News

Columbia Bank expands North Jersey footprint with new Rutherford branch

Blue Foundry Bancorp and Fulton Financial Corporation announce regulatory approvals and $243M merger closing date

Franklin Bank Announces New President & CEO

Quigley named managing director at Stevens & Lee Public Affairs

Riker Danzig adds family law associate Souaid

OCC gives Valley Bank ‘Outstanding’ Community Reinvestment Act rating

World Cup: How Bank of America uses global sponsorship to spur local success stories

Onsetto and Vikar Partner to Accelerate Business Banking Activation and Primacy

18 N.J. banks acknowledged on Newsweek’s best regional banks list

Kearny Bank: $26 Million Loan Paving Way for 102-Unit Apartment Building in Guilderland, NY

Artificial Intelligence Risk, Inc. Article: Why Copilot Alone Is Incomplete for Community Banks (And What Governed Intelligence Now Actually Requires)

Columbia Bank Honored as one of America’s Best Regional Banks by Newsweek for Third Consecutive Year

Engage fi Blog: 67% Are Implementing AI. Only 16% Know Why.

KlariVis Research Report - The Quiet Spread: What Transaction Data Reveals About the Stablecoin Impact on Community Bank Deposits and Lending 

S.R. Snodgrass, P.C. Article - What You Need to Know: New and Existing Tax-Saving Opportunities for Community Banks

Spencer Savings Bank Welcomes New Bergen County Market Manager

Computershare Article - Outsourcing your customer communications: your key to agility

Associate Member Spotlight
These are just a few of our Associate Members who support the financial services industry.

Chamber of Commerce

Independent Broker Dealers

Design-Built Firm

Training Partners

Member Resources

Applications Bulletin

Regulatory Bulletin

Code of Conduct

Connection Tools

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