COVID-19TaxTreasury Management
September 10, 2020

Auditors Eye Risks of Not Knowing Where Remote Workers Call Home

Employees who move to other states or countries raise tax issues, and others, for employers. Everyone knows that millions of people are still working from home (WFH). But not every employer knows exactly where every employee is working—a potential headache discussed by members of NeuGroup’s Internal Auditors’ Peer Group (IAPG) at a recent virtual meeting. “We’re super worried about it,” said one auditor about the various tax, legal and compensation issues WFH can raise for corporates.It is critical that employers…
COVID-19TechnologyTreasury Management
September 8, 2020

Post-Labor Day Rethink: Reinventing Finance Teams and Redefining the Office

How should corporate finance and treasury roles adjust to extended remote work and further delay of in-person team interaction? By Joseph Neu NeuGroup exchanges with members about team (aka labor) performance during the Covid-19-induced work from home (WFH) period have been generally positive. Productivity has been good, even up, as team members take back time lost to commuting as they give up spontaneous communication and collaborative teaching moments.Sustainability is a concern, though, as WFH requires balancing work and home priorities…
BankingTreasury Management
August 25, 2020

Waiting Game: Fed’s Update on Dividend Regs Reflects Increased Back-and-Forth With Banks

Earnings hold the key to whether a bank qualifies for “expedited consultation” with regulators. Recent clarification by the Federal Reserve about the timing of regulatory reviews of dividends paid by banks has raised a few questions and concerns for members of NeuGroup’s Bank Treasurers’ Peer Group.  Even before the guidance, banks have delayed or considered delaying their dividend declaration dates to provide more time for back-and-forth with regulators over the payout. Experience suggests that approaching the Fed with a concrete plan…
Cash & Working CapitalCOVID-19Treasury Management
August 20, 2020

Finance Teams Kept More Hands on Deck in Q2 to Navigate Rough Waters

The pandemic is taking a toll on working capital, leading to more rationing of cash, an FEI survey says. Far fewer finance teams planned on cutting headcount in the second quarter of 2020 than in the first, according to a survey released this week by Financial Executives International in collaboration with Deloitte. Meanwhile, the percentage of companies reporting a drop in working capital balances in Q2 rose by a third as the pandemic took hold. The survey of 170 of FEI’s…
TechnologyTreasury Management
August 18, 2020

Paying Employees On Demand Brings Both Benefits and Risks to Corporates

The gig economy and the pandemic are boosting interest in pay solutions that may present legal and regulatory issues.The pandemic and the gig economy are prompting traditional employers to explore their options for so-called on-demand pay services that put money in the hands of workers when they need it most. US Bank laid out the benefits and potential complications for corporates of some of these solutions at a recent meeting of the NeuGroup for Retail Treasury. Some basic background: Today’s…
COVID-19Treasury Management
August 4, 2020

Treasurers Master Managing Remotely, Face New Challenges

Challenges facing treasurers include communication, hiring, reviews and figuring out what lies ahead.The pandemic has demonstrated that treasury operations can function smoothly and without major problems when team members and managers are forced to work from home (WFH) for several months—while at the same time exposing the shortcomings and challenges of working and managing remotely. That mixed picture, as well as unresolved questions about the future, emerged during a recent virtual discussion among members of the Life Sciences Treasury Peer…
Treasury Management
July 21, 2020

Keeping That Resilient Posture Post-Pandemic

Having the resilience to survive the pandemic needs to extend into staying that way as the pandemic abates (whenever that is).One imperative that has informed the operations of most corporates during the pandemic is business resiliency. Through the stress of potential liquidity crunches, supply-chain disruptions and work from home pressures, companies have bobbed and weaved their way with great resiliency. But what about once the pandemic is over? What will BAU, “business as usual,” be like after the COVID-19 pandemic…
COVID-19TechnologyTreasury Management
July 16, 2020

Pandemic Pushes Companies to Digitize Processes, Prioritize People

Treasurers at tech firms push to abandon legacy processes while focusing on keeping teams connected. Many tech companies during the pandemic have been able to announce that they will not lay anyone off during the crisis—and have been able to keep their promise. Unfortunately, that’s not universally true—some businesses have been particularly hard hit and have had to furlough or cut staff, and consequently do more with less. This prompted a hard look at projects and their prioritization for many members of…
Treasury Management
July 7, 2020

Managing the Team Through WFH Takes Effort

Powering an effective team through tough times – snacks and all.For all the talk about how well NeuGroup peer group members and their teams have navigated the pandemic – quarter closes, bond issuances, insurance renewals, revolver negotiations, even hostile takeover attempts – there is a nagging feeling that “this can’t go on forever” without more problems manifesting themselves in some way. After almost four months of a near complete “work from home” or WFH regime, it will still be a while…
Risk ManagementTreasury Management
June 25, 2020

What the Experiment With Modern Monetary Theory Means for Risk Managers

Treasury and finance teams need to adapt to the reality of different thinking about debt and deficits. By Joseph Neu“We’re not even thinking about thinking about raising rates,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said after the Federal Open Market Committee’s June meeting. This was good timing for me: On the same day, I suggested to clients of Chatham Financial attending a virtual summit that among the accelerating trends treasury and financial risk managers need to prepare for is the current flirtation with…