Paul Hayward of ICTV Sits Down With Performance Trust Co-Founder Rich Berg to Discuss Why Challenging Conventional Banking Wisdom Still Matters Thirty Years Later
CHICAGO, June 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- During a recent conversation with ICTV's Paul Hayward, Rich Berg, Co-Founder and Chairman of Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC, reflected on a decision that many would have considered risky, if not outright crazy.
Nearly thirty years ago, Berg, Phil Nussbaum, and several colleagues left a traditional investment banking firm in downtown Chicago with the belief that banks needed an alternative approach to evaluating risk, return, and balance sheet decisions.
What began as a five-day educational seminar called Bond Boot Camp attended by just twenty bankers has evolved into a series of educational conferences and programs that now attract banking executives from across the country. The firm's most recent conference sold out in just twenty-six hours, six months before the event, with 450 attendees registering for just 325 seats!
Hayward posed the obvious question.
"Rich, looking back, wasn't that a little crazy?"
Berg didn't hesitate.
"Absolutely," he said with a laugh. "We walked away from secure careers because we genuinely believed there was a better way. At the time, a lot of people thought we were taking a huge risk."
According to Berg, the firm's founding philosophy emerged from a simple observation.
"We believed banks were being asked to make important decisions using analytics that didn't tell the whole story," he said. "We saw an opportunity to bring a more rigorous and systematic approach to evaluating risk and return."
Berg explained that the firm was built around mathematics, analytics, and education rather than conventional industry assumptions. Together with its early team, the firm challenged accepted thinking and introduced a more disciplined framework for evaluating risk and return.
"The world has become far more complex," Berg said. "Bankers have more choices, more information, and more uncertainty than ever before. The challenge isn't getting data. The challenge is understanding what matters."
Today, our program starts with the same first principles introduced at Bond Boot Camp but now expands their application to the entire balance sheet.
The conversation then turned to a phrase frequently associated with Performance Trust: "Moneyball for Banking."
Hayward noted that Billy Beane recently addressed a Performance Trust audience and described the firm's approach using that phrase.
"Moneyball wasn't really about baseball," Berg said. "It was about challenging accepted wisdom through better analytics. That's exactly what we've been trying to do from the beginning."
As the discussion concluded, Hayward asked Berg what lesson stands out most after three decades.
"Never stop questioning assumptions," Berg said. "We believe the institutions that consistently make the best decisions are usually the ones willing to challenge conventional thinking."
About Performance Trust Capital Partners:
Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC is an investment bank that combines Wall Street scale with the agility of an independent, employee-owned firm. They help financial institutions uncover overlooked opportunities, navigate complexity, and make decisions grounded in insight—not impulse. Their work is focused on long-term impact and relationships built on what matters most: trust and enduring performance. Performance Trust Capital Partners, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC/NFA. www.performancetrust.com
About ICTV:
ICTV is an AI-powered financial intelligence network focused on helping investors and business leaders stay informed through expert commentary, thought leadership, market analysis, and AI-assisted insights. By bringing together diverse perspectives and intelligent analysis, ICTV promotes financial literacy and a deeper understanding of the trends shaping global markets.
Media Contact:
Paul Hayward
[email protected]
312-969-7285
SOURCE ICTV / Performance Trust
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