Upfront: Survey Reveals Treasury's Driving Forces

Treasurers have made great strides in streamlining their operations in recent years, and they're not ready to lose that focus just yet, according to a new survey of corporate treasury and finance executives conducted by Business Finance and JPMorgan Chase's executive research group. When asked to rate the impact of five trends on their treasury organization in the past 12 months, 93 percent of respondents -- the largest proportion -- described internal efficiency initiatives as somewhat important, very important or extremely important.

Companies' financial services providers are key partners in those initiatives, notes Julie Monaco, senior vice president and core cash management business executive with JPMorgan Chase Treasury Services in New York City. "Banks have achieved a high level of efficiency once things hit our doors, and now [we] are helping corporations with straight-through processing," she says.

"Clients are clearly interested in internal efficiency initiatives," says Randy Schnable, senior vice president, product support, with KeyBank Global Treasury Management in Cleveland. One reason is the continued pressure on staffing levels within treasury departments, Schnable notes.