Christina Anderson

BBVA USA Business Banking Relationship Manager Jeffrey Silva and his son Zane have been on a mission to clean up their part of their hometown of Las Cruces.

Let’s face it. Saving money is not easy, especially when at every turn, it seems there are more wants that feel a lot like needs. It can be a hard fought battle.

According to a recent Bankrate.com survey, just four in ten people indicated they were able to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense without going into debt to do so.

For these people, a savings plan is the obvious answer, but for the many Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck, even the smallest savings can feel out of reach. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Below are five tips to help you get started saving today.

Owning a credit card in 2018 may become more lucrative, says BBVA Compass Head of Payments Jon Groch.

According to Groch, rewards - or more precisely, the proliferation of them - is one of the biggest trends for credit cards in 2018. Other trends, he says, underscore the same emphasis on the consumer, as well as strategies to differentiate and distinguish individual cards and credit card issuers from one another.

A bright new year dawned for BBVA Compass in 2017 with the January installation of a new President and CEO and the debut of a new global tagline - Creating Opportunities - that would become the theme for the bank’s activities throughout the year.

In October, BBVA Compass joined officials from The Salvation Army at a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for the non-profit’s new Center of Hope in Birmingham, Alabama.

The U.S. Congress got a step closer to improving access to mainstream financial services for the underserved and unbanked with the inclusion of the MOBILE Act (H.R. 1457) as part of an amendment to the banking regulatory relief bill that was reported out of the Senate Banking Committee last week, and the standalone bill reported out (by 60-0 vote) of the House Financial Services Committee this week.

The global remittance market is slated to be at an all-time high in 2017, according to BBVA Research’s Yearbook of Migration and Remittances, and the U.S. has the lionshare of the market.

BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc., a Sunbelt-based bank holding company (BBVA Compass), reported today net income of $130 million for the third quarter of 2017, an 8 percent increase from the $120 million earned during the third quarter of 2016. Included in third quarter 2017 results is approximately $60 million (pre-tax) of provision expense related to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Return on average assets and return on average tangible equity(1) for the third quarter of 2017 were 0.59 percent and 6.40 percent, respectively.

According to recently released BBVA Research data, people around the globe could send their loved ones up to $606 billion in remittances in 2017, which made us wonder. What are the elements that impact remittances when they are sent?

According to the Global Head of Tuyyo Ignacio de Loyola Gil Puértolas, remittance senders should be aware of two main elements: exchange rates and transaction fees. Exchange rates are the amount of foreign currency received for each dollar sent. Fees are the amount the sender pays to the service provider for transferring the funds.

BBVA Compass was recognized as a leader in Financial Fitness from Javelin Strategy & Research in its 2017 Online Banking Scorecard, with independent research firm spotlighting the bank for providing a notable online banking experience that guides customers on a financial journey.

Javelin Strategy & Research’s competitive analysis of the nation’s top 28 financial institutions examines more than 225 online banking features in six critical areas of banking success: ease of use, security empowerment, financial fitness, money movement, customer service, and account opening.

The ‘Leader’ in Financial Fitness recognition was given to just 3 financial institutions out of 28 measured that Javelin found to be proactive and vigilant financial advisers that demonstrate that they:

• Have financial oversight and guidance anchored by the ability for customers to conveniently view balances and transactions for all of their accounts in a single view.
• Give consumers alerts that help them stay on top of their finances.
• Serve up personalized content and insights to help them understand and manage their money better.
• Have online banking services that boast the tools and advice that help customers save for specific goals.

With the naming of DOV-E as its Global Trends winner at Next Money in Chicago, BBVA this week continued its push to find and partner with the world's most innovative fintech start-ups.

For many of the startups competing in this year’s BBVA Open Talent competitions - even those that didn’t win  - the Open Talent experience is like no other, creating unparalleled opportunities for expert guidance, high-level networking with industry decision makers, and exposure to potential investors.

BBVA has crowned DOV-E as its winner in the BBVA Open Talent Global Trends fintech competition, winning €30,000 and a spot at the BBVA Open Summit and Immersion Week in October at the BBVA Group headquarters in Madrid.

DOV-E, based in Israel, provides wireless connectivity using audio technology between any consumer’s mobile device and any merchant platform. It won the award after beating strong competition from hundreds of other entries from across the world.

BBVA Compass Chief Talent & Culture Executive Rosilyn Houston made her second appearance in as many years Monday on American Banker’s Women to Watch list, part of the industry standard’s annual Most Powerful Women in Banking series.

BBVA Compass is today announcing that some of its branches in Houston and Dallas will serve as offer day pick-up locations for Amazon’s Treasure Truck.

The news comes seven months after BBVA Compass announced a collaboration with Amazon to pilot its Locker program at 11 Austin, Texas-area branches, the first time the program was made available at a bank location. Today’s announcement also marks the first time a bank in the Southeast has been chosen as a location to host the Treasure Truck.

For BBVA Compass, every step of the customer journey is important, from account opening to basic account maintenance, which is why the bank’s new front-end sales and service application is a key tool for its branch team.

Dubbed Client Vista, the tool connects the bank’s real-time core banking platform to its sales and service team giving them better flexibility to assist the client and discuss products and services that are relevant to their personal needs. For the customer, the impact of the change is minimal, according to BBVA Compass Consumer Director of Business Planning and Client Vista Program Owner Shawn O’Brien, but the application was designed specifically to meet their needs.

Branches in Southeast and Central Alabama including Dothan, Eufaula, Montgomery and Auburn/Opelika closed at 12:30pm today, Monday, September 11, due to inclement weather from Tropical Storm Irma.

The Branch Status page will have updated branch closings and hours information as they become available: https://www.bbvacompass.com/go/statusfl.html

If you need assistance, call us at 1-800-COMPASS or use the BBVA Compass Mobile Banking app and BBVA Wallet. You can manage your accounts, make transfers, pay bills, deposit checks, view balances and more: https://www.bbvacompass.com/digital-banking-services/mobile-banking.html

Each time I pull out my debit card to make a purchase, I’m hit with a minor - but not inconsequential - question. A cashier or the point of sale machine at the counter where I’ve swiped or inserted my card asks that all-too-familiar inquiry: Debit or credit?

Typically, my default choice is debit, but not for any good or informed reason. I’m paying with a debit card, so the obvious choice is debit, right? But then, why am I given an option in the first place? Does it really matter which button I hit or what option I choose? To help answer these questions, I talked to BBVA Compass Director of Merchant Acquiring Adam Spencer.

BBVA Compass brand ambassador James Harden of the Houston Rockets landed in Birmingham Thursday to help make a surprise announcement at Parker High School: the bank will bring a preseason game to Birmingham, between the Rockets and an as-yet-unnamed team in 2018, for the first time in more than a decade.

Head down, fingers tapping, mind far away.

In the age of the smartphone, this is the scene played out everywhere you look. And you won’t stop seeing it anytime soon, as according to a November 2016 Pew Research Center survey, roughly three-quarters of Americans now own the multi-purpose digital device. All of which is why it’s curious that there continues to be misconceptions about using the computer in your pocket for banking.

Consumer debt in the U.S. continues to be pervasive some seven years after 2008’s economic downturn. If you count yourself as one of those still struggling, take heart. With a dose of discipline and self control, you could potentially loosen debt’s vice grip on your life.

BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc., a Sunbelt-based bank holding company (BBVA Compass), reported today record net income of $157 million for the second quarter of 2017, a 29 percent increase from the $123 million earned during the second quarter of 2016 and a 30 percent increase from the $121 million earned during the first quarter of 2017. Return on average assets and return on average tangible equity(1) for the second quarter of 2017 were 0.72 percent and 7.93 percent, respectively.

You’ve lost your wallet. You start to panic, thinking about the debit and credit cards it contains. The panic slowly starts  turning to dread knowing how much time you’ll spend trying to rectify the situation.

When BBVA Compass South Alabama Market CEO Claire McCarron got her first job in Commercial banking, she didn’t guess that her undergraduate psychology degree would be just as useful as her MBA, but after 30 years in banking, she’s grateful for both.

Credit cards and credit card offers are as ubiquitous as coffee shops in Seattle. With so many to choose from, how do you decide what’s right for you and your unique financial situation?

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday the results of its Comprehensive Capital Analysis Review, or CCAR, and for the fourth year in a row, it did not object to the capital plan submitted by BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc.

BBVA Compass just made becoming a customer easier with the latest release of its award-winning mobile banking app.

BBVA Compass is making it easier and more convenient for customers to manage their BBVA Compass debit and credit cards on the go with the most recent version of BBVA Wallet.

BBVA’s expansion to the U.S. came after it found success in South America and Mexico. The U.S. was an attractive market from a demographics standpoint, with a growing population, a solid economy - which also happened to be the world’s largest - and a positive banking environment. Also, given the Group’s leadership in Latin America, the U.S. with its large and growing Hispanic population was a natural choice.

BBVA Compass participated in the first annual “World Trade Day Atlanta” in early May, organized by the World Trade Center Atlanta.

BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc., a Sunbelt-based bank holding company (BBVA Compass), reported today net income of $121 million for the first quarter of 2017 compared to $89 million earned during the fourth quarter of 2016 and $39 million earned during the first quarter of 2016. Earnings in the quarter represented a 35 percent increase from the prior quarter and a 208 percent increase from year ago levels. Return on average assets and return on average tangible equity (1) for the first quarter of 2017 were 0.56 percent and 6.28 percent, respectively.

BBVA Research chief economist of Financial Systems and Regulation Santiago Fernández de Lis said on Wednesday that fintechs are unbundling the banking business and the challenge for financial institutions is to rebundle.

Keeping a city’s cultural renaissance moving forward can be difficult, but with Next Gen, Birmingham, Ala. hopes to not only achieve it, but inspire the next generation to foster it.

Three hundred team members from across BBVA Compass spent two days last week reviewing the previous quarter’s accomplishments and prepping the road ahead for 35 of the bank’s most important projects.

BBVA Compass took part in many events in the run up to Sunday’s big game, but it was the kid-friendly one that shined brightest. On Feb. 2, BBVA Compass hosted the 13 Make-A-Wish children headed to the game and their families for a private dinner at BBVA Compass Stadium. In addition to the dinner, the children and their families toured the Houston Dynamo and Dash’s home and spent time with Houston Texans Linebacker Brian Cushing and Houston Dash Forward Kealia Ohai. Hosting the event underscored the bank’s efforts to give back and create special opportunities as part of the big game festivities.

This weekend, BBVA Compass celebrated professional football’s biggest event in Houston, Texas and Birmingham, Ala., throwing super-sized celebrations that featured such celebrities as country music artist Jake Owen, NBA legend Robert Horry and lifestyle expert Sandra Lee.

Riding the wave of next-gen delivery services, BBVA Compass today announced that it has been piloting Amazon Locker at 11 Austin-area BBVA Compass branches.

Used BBVA Compass desktops, laptops and laser printers found new purpose with a recent donation to the Housing Authority Birmingham District.

One of the jewels in BBVA Compass’ mobile crown just got a little brighter.

BBVA Wallet, the digital wallet alternative that gives clients a convenient way to monitor and safeguard their BBVA Compass credit and debit cards, recently surpassed 200,000 downloads in the U.S. It passed the milestone just a year and a half after its U.S. launch and well ahead of schedule, demonstrating the hunger among consumers for convenient solutions that give them greater control over their finances.

BBVA Compass’ digital efforts got a double vote of confidence today from independent research firm Javelin Strategy & Research, which gave the bank’s online platform top nods alongside five other banks for Financial Management and Money Movement capabilities in its inaugural Online Banking Scorecard.

BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc., a Sunbelt-based bank holding company (BBVA Compass), reported today net income of $120 million for the third quarter of 2016 compared to $130 million earned during the third quarter of 2015. Return on average assets and return on average tangible equity(1) for the third quarter of 2016 were 0.53 percent and 6.21 percent, respectively.

BBVA Compass and Opportunity Finance Network are joining forces to cultivate the next generation of leaders for Community Development Financial Institutions, organizations that are critical engines of opportunity in low-income communities.

Some of the best-known names working on finance’s new frontiers come together this Monday in one of technology’s most important cities for the second edition of Fintech University.

BBVA Compass is helping to add a fitting footnote — housewarming gifts — to the heartwarming story of some of Los Angeles' most at-risk residents getting homes of their own.

Startups looking to disrupt the world of identity authentication and fraud prevention took home the top spots in New York during the first of three regional finals for the BBVA Open Talent 2016 competition.

BBVA Compass volunteers fanned out in 27 cities over 24 hours this summer to spread their expertise and a message of financial empowerment.

The U.S. boasts twice as many finalists as any other country in BBVA Open Talent, the Spanish banking giant’s global contest to identify the talent and ideas that are going to transform the world of finance.

The Roca brothers of Spain’s celebrated El Celler de Can Roca are headed to the lands of blazing sun and foggy mornings, bringing their brand of culinary genius to BBVA Compass clients in two western U.S. cities this summer on their BBVA-sponsored global tour, which started on August 1 in London.

BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc. reported its second quarter 2016 results today, with net income topping $162 million for the first half of 2016 compared to $286 million earned during the first six months of 2015. Return on average assets and return on average tangible equity(1) for the first six months of 2016 were 0.35 percent and 4.27 percent, respectively.