PORTFOLIO Interest rate swaps Investing By Rick Redmond and Tommy Warren, Vining Sparks What can banks learn from Sears' failure? To stay relevant, community banks must align their profit and risk goals with customer preferences-something the former retail behemoth didn't do. Interest rate swaps are one strategy that can help achieve this. xisting for more than 125 years and surviving tremendous changes did not ensure the survival of Sears. The 20th-century retail icon's bankruptcy fi ling at the end of last year reminds us what can happen when we fail to meet evolving 26 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q March 2019 E Tommy Warren, CPA, is senior vice president at Vining Sparks Interest Rate Products, LLC Rick Redmond, CMA, is president of Vining Sparks Interest Rate Products, LLC, and director of balance sheet strategies for Vining Sparks IBG George Frey/Getty Images