So far, the fears about a larger banking crisis have not affected most CEOs’ outlook about the business environment, with the number rating their outlook as 5 or higher (82.5%) virtually unchanged from the last survey in February.

However, when the survey is broken down by industry sector, there are stark differences in outlook which reflect growing concerns that banking collapses may trigger a commercial real estate crash. In February, 45% of real estate executives polled expressed strong optimism about the business outlook (ratings between 8-10). By April, that number had fallen to just 11%, according to the survey.

Yet over the same period, the percentage of manufacturing and distribution CEOs who reported having a very optimistic business outlook rose from 27% to 45%.

The Marcum-Hofstra CEO Survey is a periodic gauge of mid-market CEOs’ outlook and priorities for the next 12 months. The survey polls the leaders of companies with revenues ranging from $5 million to $1 billion-plus. This latest survey was conducted the week of April 10, 2023, and polled 255 mid-market CEOs.

“In light of recent events, mid-market CEOs show increasing concern for banking partner stability, yet the majority maintain their relationships, reflecting trust in financial institutions,” said Jeffrey M. Weiner, Marcum’s chairman & chief executive officer. “Though CEO optimism persists across industries, their strategic planning is being shaped by economic uncertainty, talent scarcity, and escalating costs.”

Janet Lenaghan, dean of the Zarb School of Business, said that the last few years prepared CEOs to manage uncertainty like the volatility in the banking industry.

“CEOs have had to juggle multiple challenges that emerge and evolve faster than ever before,” Lenaghan said. “In a sense, they’ve been in crisis management mode since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so they know how to live with unpredictable conditions, when to be nimble and when to stay the course.”

The survey is developed, conducted, and analyzed by Zarb School MBA students, led by Dr. Andrew Forman, associate professor of international business and marketing, in partnership with Marcum.

“With growing uncertainty in the banking sector, the Marcum-Hofstra CEO survey provides students with an instructive lesson on the importance of corporate leaders remaining vigilant and continually assessing even their company’s most long-standing relationships,” Forman said. “Similarly, we see them considering their employees’ evolving preferences regarding remote work and balancing these with the organization’s good.

Other key findings:

Banking

• About 27% of CEOs reported that they’ve found it more difficult to borrow from lending institutions over the past year. Forty percent did not, and almost 33 percent have not attempted to borrow in the past 12 months.

Business Planning Influences

• Economic concerns continue to be the most-cited influence on business planning, with 58% of CEOs reporting it as one of their top three concerns. Behind that was the availability of talent and rising material and operational costs due to inflation.

Remote Work Policies

• About 45% of CEOs reported they permit their employees to work remotely and will continue to do so. Almost 13 percent say they have discontinued this option, while about 29 percent are considering that.
• Here are some of the reasons CEOs reported for reconsidering their remote work policies:
  • “COVID’s threat diminished.”
  • “Decreased employee productivity.”
  • “Some employees abuse the policy and are not working 8 hours a day.”
  • “Need face-to-face interaction.”
  • “We do our best work from an office setting and find it’s more professional.”
  • “We lose a lot of the collaboration we get at the office.