At that point I think he should've just bald-face deny reality: "nobody is saying we're in trouble! You're cherry-picking our enemies"
Exactly people would be here saying that the CEO hasn't said anything in the past 10 days or whatnot. Damned if you do and damned if you don't
There are “least worst” options. But it is true that once you get the scent of insolvency on you it’s very hard to shake.
I never thought much of public relations until i had to work with the team.
It’s really an art.
Nope. This is the line of thinking that gets people into hot water. He could have said nothing and he would be better off. When in doubt, just say nothing. Nobody asked him about a run on his bank - he just blurted that out in a public call with shareholders on the line.
Any bank would be in a bad position if all of its customers withdrew at once. Everyone knows this, but banks that are doing well don't think about this. The fact that it is clearly top of mind does not inspire confidence.
However, not to defend the guy, but as a CEO of this bank he ... has to say something. And whatever he says it will be bad anyway.