A Strategic Response to a Rapidly Evolving Treasury and Payments Landscape
NEACH has announced a significant strategic partnership with Turningpoint Communications to launch the Treasury and Payments Academy (TAPA), a comprehensive and forward-looking training initiative designed to transform how financial institutions build, scale, and sustain treasury and payments expertise across their organizations. As commercial banking undergoes a profound transformation driven by automation, digitization, real-time payments, and increasingly complex client expectations, TAPA emerges as a timely and structured solution aimed at strengthening institutional competitiveness, accelerating growth, and improving talent retention in an intensely competitive labor market.
Rather than treating treasury management as a niche specialty confined to a limited number of experts, the Academy positions it as a core organizational capability that must be embedded across relationship management, sales, lending, and service teams to deliver meaningful value to commercial clients.
The Growing Complexity of Treasury Management in Modern Commercial Banking
Commercial banking has entered an era in which treasury management is no longer defined solely by transactional efficiency or product deployment but by strategic advisory capability and deep operational understanding. Corporate clients now expect their financial partners to provide sophisticated insights into cash flow optimization, working capital efficiency, payments modernization, risk mitigation, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance. At the same time, advances in automation and integrated payments platforms have raised the bar for execution, requiring financial institutions to combine technical proficiency with consultative skill.
Many banks and credit unions, however, face internal challenges in meeting these expectations, as treasury expertise is often concentrated among a small group of specialists, creating bottlenecks and limiting the institution’s ability to scale advisory services consistently. TAPA was conceived to directly address this structural challenge by democratizing treasury knowledge and equipping a broad range of professionals with the tools and confidence needed to engage in high-value client conversations.
From Product Pitching to Trusted Advisory Relationships
One of the core philosophies behind the Treasury and Payments Academy is the belief that successful treasury management today requires a fundamental shift from product-centric selling to value-driven advisory engagement. Too often, commercial conversations focus narrowly on individual services or features rather than on the client’s broader operational and financial objectives. TAPA is designed to help financial professionals move beyond this approach by developing the skills needed to conduct effective discovery, ask the right questions, understand client pain points, and position treasury solutions within the context of measurable business outcomes.
By emphasizing confidence, clarity, and strategic thinking, the program aims to transform how institutions interact with their commercial clients, enabling them to build deeper relationships rooted in trust, insight, and long-term partnership rather than transactional convenience.
NEACH’s Vision for Scalable, Organization-Wide Expertise
NEACH President and CEO Sean Carter, AAP, APRP, has underscored the urgency of building broad-based treasury expertise as a strategic imperative for financial institutions. In his view, the traditional model of relying on a small cadre of specialists is no longer sufficient in an environment where client needs are complex, competition is fierce, and margins are under constant pressure. To grow deposits, protect clients from evolving risks, and compete effectively against both traditional peers and fintech challengers, institutions must ensure that treasury knowledge exists across the organization.
The Treasury and Payments Academy reflects this vision by offering a scalable, structured approach to training that strengthens client relationships, drives revenue growth, and represents a meaningful investment in people at a time when employee engagement and retention are critical differentiators.
A Collaborative Partnership with Turningpoint Communications
The development of TAPA in collaboration with Turningpoint Communications brings together NEACH’s deep industry expertise with a nationally recognized leader in treasury management consulting and education. Turningpoint Communications has built a strong reputation over more than 17 years of working with treasury management and commercial banking teams across the country, helping them enhance both technical understanding and strategic execution. This partnership ensures that the Academy is grounded in real-world experience rather than abstract theory, blending practical insights with actionable frameworks that participants can immediately apply in their roles. The result is a curriculum that speaks directly to the daily challenges faced by financial professionals while aligning with broader institutional goals around growth, risk management, and client satisfaction.
Bridging the Gap Between Technical Knowledge and Strategic Application
A defining feature of the Treasury and Payments Academy is its emphasis on closing the gap between knowing and doing. While technical knowledge is essential, it is not sufficient on its own to drive meaningful outcomes in client relationships. Commercial clients expect their banking partners to interpret information, quantify value propositions, and translate complex concepts into clear, actionable recommendations. According to Laurel Egan Kenny, MBA, MSCM, Founder and President of Turningpoint Communications, today’s environment demands informed and strategic conversations coupled with decisive action.
TAPA has been intentionally designed to empower learners to quantify the value of treasury solutions, address operational challenges faced by treasury and finance teams, CEOs, and CFOs, and communicate with confidence and credibility. By integrating listening skills, objection handling, and strategic positioning into the curriculum, the program helps participants develop a holistic advisory mindset.
Comprehensive Curriculum Covering the Full Treasury Ecosystem
The Treasury and Payments Academy delivers a robust and comprehensive curriculum that addresses the full spectrum of treasury management responsibilities. Key areas of focus include discovery techniques that uncover client needs, objection handling strategies that build trust and overcome resistance, and working capital strategies that align treasury solutions with broader business objectives. Participants also gain in-depth exposure to payments solutions, regulatory and compliance considerations, and fraud prevention tactics, ensuring they are equipped to navigate both opportunity and risk. By positioning treasury management as a core driver of institutional value rather than a supporting function, TAPA reinforces the strategic importance of these capabilities in achieving sustainable growth and differentiation in the market.
Leadership and Direction Under an Experienced Treasury Professional
The launch of the Treasury and Payments Academy is further strengthened by the addition of Patricia Mullin, CCM, to the NEACH team as Treasury Management Program Director. Mullin brings more than 25 years of experience spanning financial institutions and corporate treasury environments, providing a unique and well-rounded perspective on both sides of the client relationship.
Her leadership is instrumental in shaping program strategy and development, ensuring that TAPA remains aligned with evolving industry needs and practical realities. Mullin’s extensive background allows her to anticipate the challenges institutions face in building effective treasury teams and to design training pathways that support both individual professional growth and organizational performance.
Investing in Talent Through Structured Professional Development
One of the most compelling aspects of the Treasury and Payments Academy is its role as a strategic talent investment. Many financial institutions employ capable and motivated professionals who are eager to expand their skills but lack access to structured, high-quality treasury training. This gap can limit career progression, reduce engagement, and ultimately contribute to turnover. TAPA addresses this issue by providing institutions with a meaningful way to invest in their teams, building confidence, enhancing collaboration across sales and service functions, and creating long-term value for employees and clients alike. By framing professional development as a core component of institutional strategy rather than an optional benefit, the Academy aligns individual aspirations with organizational success.
Designed for Broad Participation Across Commercial Banking Roles
The Treasury and Payments Academy has been intentionally designed to serve a wide range of roles within financial institutions, reflecting the reality that treasury expertise must be distributed rather than centralized. The program is tailored for commercial relationship managers, treasury management sales officers, lenders, cash management specialists, and service teams, ensuring that everyone involved in the commercial client experience speaks a common language and operates from a shared understanding of value.
Through a single institutional purchase, organizations gain access for multiple teams, enabling consistent, high-impact training deployment at scale. This approach not only improves efficiency but also fosters alignment across departments, reducing silos and enhancing the overall client experience.
Addressing Talent Retention in a Tight Labor Market
The financial services industry continues to face significant challenges in attracting and retaining skilled professionals, particularly in specialized areas such as treasury and payments. In this context, compensation alone is often insufficient to secure long-term loyalty or engagement. The Treasury and Payments Academy offers a compelling alternative by emphasizing career development, skill-building, and professional confidence as key drivers of retention. By providing employees with access to structured learning and clear pathways for growth, institutions can differentiate themselves as employers of choice while simultaneously strengthening their operational capabilities. This dual impact makes TAPA not only a training initiative but also a strategic response to broader workforce dynamics.
Strengthening Client Relationships Through Consistent Excellence
At its core, the Treasury and Payments Academy is designed to elevate the quality and consistency of client interactions across financial institutions. When relationship managers, lenders, and service teams share a strong foundation in treasury knowledge and advisory skills, clients benefit from more coherent, insightful, and responsive engagement. This consistency enhances trust, reduces friction, and positions the institution as a strategic partner rather than a commodity provider. Over time, these strengthened relationships can lead to deeper client penetration, increased wallet share, and improved retention, reinforcing the business case for investing in comprehensive treasury training.
Positioning Treasury Management as a Growth Engine
Historically, treasury management has often been viewed as a support function or ancillary revenue stream, but the modern banking environment demands a different perspective. TAPA explicitly positions treasury management as a core growth engine capable of driving deposits, fee income, and long-term client loyalty. By equipping professionals with the skills to articulate and deliver this value, the Academy helps institutions unlock the full potential of their treasury offerings. This strategic repositioning is particularly important as banks and credit unions seek to differentiate themselves in crowded markets and respond to competition from fintechs that emphasize user experience and integrated solutions.
Preparing Institutions for the Future of Payments and Treasury
The payments and treasury landscape will continue to evolve rapidly as new technologies, regulations, and client expectations emerge. Financial institutions that fail to invest in ongoing education risk falling behind, while those that prioritize learning and adaptability are better positioned to thrive. The Treasury and Payments Academy reflects NEACH’s commitment to preparing institutions not just for today’s challenges but for the future of commercial banking. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and strategic thinking, TAPA helps organizations remain agile, relevant, and resilient in the face of change.
Launch Timeline and Access Information
The Treasury and Payments Academy is scheduled to open in April 2026, marking an important milestone in NEACH’s ongoing efforts to support the professional development and strategic success of financial institutions. Organizations interested in learning more about the program, its curriculum, and participation options can find additional information through NEACH’s official channels. With its comprehensive scope, practical focus, and emphasis on scalable impact, TAPA represents a significant advancement in treasury and payments education, offering institutions a powerful tool to strengthen their teams, serve their clients more effectively, and compete with confidence in an increasingly complex financial landscape.
About NEACH
The New England Automated Clearing House (NEACH) is a non-profit association that helps members originate and receive ACH transactions and provides products, services, education, and marketing to increase the acceptance, use, and quality of electronic transactions. For more information or to join NEACH, visit www.neach.org.
About Turningpoint Communications
Turningpoint Communications is a national treasury-management-focused strategic communications, content marketing, sales support, and education consulting firm. Turningpoint works with financial institutions and industry organizations to promote thought leadership, engage audiences in dynamic ways, and drive measurable growth through expertise-driven communication and education. www.turningpointcommunications.com/
