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June 2011

About GBA University

GBA University is the virtual campus for all of GBA's learning, career planning and networking offerings that are essential for the continuing education and development for Georgia's career bankers.

GBA-U is about YOUR continued learning:

  • In-person seminars

  • Webinars

  • Banking Schools

  • AIB Courses

  • Conferences

 

The hundreds of offerings and a GBA-U's top-notch staff and instructors are why Georgia bankers rely on GBA-U as the principal outside resource they use in accomplishing their goals and objectives.

 

Check the GBA-U home page for all the details.

In This Issue:

Don't Let Your Continuing Education Stall in the Summer Heat

Stay Refreshed with the Cool Courses Offered by GBA-U

Many students will be taking a break from studying for the next few months. Bankers don't get that luxury, of course. Learning and improving is a daily requirement. And, because GBA University is a virtual campus, you can get access to all of the terrific educational, career planning and development resources that GBA-U offers all year long. We've got tons of great events coming up to fill your Summer development needs and keep you on your toes. See below for more details about some of the terrific educational opportunities available this summer from GBA-U:

Top 5 Reasons to Come to Annual Convention; Sign Up Today!

The 2011 GBA Annual Convention is just a few weeks away, and Georgia bankers are buzzing about the line-up that we have in store. Here's a quick list of the top 5 program highlights:

  1. Elizabeth Vale, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Assistant Director for community banks and credit unions. and John Duffy, Chairman and CEO of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. are our confirmed keynote speakers

  2. A Strategic Pricing Practices Session with Dan Roderick, Senior Consultant, Profitstars

  3. An 'Ask the Attorneys' Session with Jerry Blanchard, partner with Bryan Cave, LLP; Ray Fortin, Counsel for SunTrust; Mark Kanaly, partner with Alston & Bird, LLP; and James Stevens, partner with Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton, LLP

  4. A Bank Director Session with Jim Wheeler, partner with Morris, Manning & Martin

  5. It's right here in Georgia so it's easy to get to.

Don't miss the unique opportunity to hear these industry leaders, be inspired and learn from your peers during these and all the other great sessions. Click here to register online today. With questions about the convention, please contact GBA's Susie McGehee at 404.420.2010.

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Why You Should Get Involved in Leadership GBA and Attend the Annual Leadership Conference

By Spence Mullis, President & CEO, Morris Bank, Dublin, Leadership GBA President-Elect

"I've been involved with Leadership GBA for many years, and as a bank CEO I have found it to be one of the most impactful and empowering programs available to us in Georgia. This is not the Leadership Program of yesteryear focused mostly on fun and networking. While networking is still a critical benefit, the program has been retooled and offers bankers and their respective banks the opportunity to learn the latest applicable information and practices that improve performance right now. Attending or sending a representative of your bank to the Leadership Conference sends a clear message you are making a critical decision to benefit the future of your bank. You won't regret the investment in your people or your bank."

 

Leadership GBA's Annual Leadership Conference will be held on July 24-27 at the King and Prince, St. Simons Island. GBA has reserved a block of rooms at The King and Prince at a reduced rate of $209 to $229 per night. Reservations may be made by calling the hotel directly at 912.638.3631 or 877.543.6077. Be sure to say you are with the GBA to receive this special rate. The cut-off date for reservations is June 23, 2011. With questions, please contact GBA's Susie McGehee at 404.420.2010 or Jennifer Stevens at 404.420.2024.

 

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2011 Schools Round-Up...

What These Georgia Bankers Learned at Banking School--Start Budgeting Now, So You Don't Miss Out Next Year

GBA's annual Georgia Banking School wrapped up May 6 at the University of Georgia in Athens with 95 bankers in three classes participating in this year's session. We think it might be a good idea to consider a budget for sending someone to the 2012 Georgia Banking School now. If your bank has not enrolled one or more students in Georgia Banking School for the past few years, listen to what these alumni say you're missing out on:

"Banking School was a wonderful experience, adding knowledge of all areas of banking. I am much more aware
of how all the parts of the bank work together toward the common goals for the Bank. It also opened many doors for networking and building contacts within our industry."
- Amanda Marunich, Pinnacle Bank, Elberton, Class of 2011


"Banking School has helped me to grasp a more detailed understanding of the challenges that bank executives face on a daily basis. Everything, from the homework assignments that required in-depth thought about current issues to the final week of bank simulation, in which daily decisions on the structure of the bank's balance sheet predicted future success, has helped me to have clearer expectations about what my banking career holds."
- Bill Inabinet, Athens First Bank & Trust, Class of 2011

Southern Op/Tech School Graduates Are Getting Ahead of the Curve

More reliance on technology for banking is unavoidable because of consumer demands and shifts in banking strategies, loan concentrations and market demographics. Students of the 2011 Southern Operations and Technology School spent considerable time dissecting strategies to prepare for and benefit from these changes. Four Georgia bankers graduated this year from the two-year school. Congratulations to our Georgia graduates pictured from left to right:

  • Sandie Williams, Talbot State Bank, Fayetteville

  • Jill Boyer, The Peoples Bank, Eatonton

  • Gina Davis, Mount Vernon Bank, Vidalia

  • Mary Fulmer, Montgomery Bank & Trust, Ailey (not pictured)

Attention GBA School alumni and current students. You may have thought your homework was over for now, but we need your help to recruit the next class of Georgia's best and brightest career bankers. As a past or present student of one of our Schools, you know better than anyone the Schools' value and role in your career success. There's simply no better ambassador for the Schools than you. For more information about any of our annual Schools, call Marybeth Jones at 404.420.2032.

 

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GBA's Bank Trainers Peer Group Draws Good Crowd and Provides Great Training for Our Pros

Bank Trainers from around the state met May 19 in Macon. Chris DiLorenzo, President of The James Paul Group, Duluth addressed strategies for recognizing training opportunities through observations and interviews, product knowledge testing and post-training evaluations and measurements. The meeting wrapped up with an open forum discussion about topics provided by bank trainers. You can check out scenes from the meeting here and learn more about all the GBA Peer Groups by clicking right here. If you would like to join any group please contact GBA's Alison Moreau at 404.420.2034.

 

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Hot Topic!

Reg Q Repeal; Paying Interest on Business Accounts: Impact & Opportunities

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act made a sweeping change to deposit laws by repealing Reg Q, which allows banks to pay interest on demand deposit accounts. How will banks fund the additional interest expense? The potentially unexamined surge of deposits will impact community banks in many areas such as:

 

  • Interest expense

  • Rate competition

  • Sweep account management

  • Marketing and sales programs

  • Liquidity management

  • Deposit operations, including core and platform systems

  • FDIC premium costs

We are suggesting that your bank develop a company-wide deposit product strategy that includes a review of current products, new product development, project planning for operational and systems changes, overhauling marketing and sales programs and customer communication. The Regulation Q Repeal Webinar on June 1 is going to help you do that with expert instruction from Lyn Farrell and Susanna Tisa, Managing Directors, Treliant Risk Advisors, LLC. The registration fee is $250 per site license. Click here to register online. With questions or to register by phone, please contact GBA's Courtenay Pope at 404.420.2015.

 

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Last Chance to Sign Up...

Call Reporting Seminar - June 2

This one-day seminar will be presented by Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC, Atlanta, and is scheduled for June 2 at the Idle Hour Country Club in Macon. Designed for CFOs, Operations Officers and anyone responsible for preparing call reports, this seminar will offer practical techniques to improve your overall reporting process. Participants will get a detailed, line-by-line review of how to complete each schedule of a call report. Registration is $225 for members and $175 for any additional registrants from the same institution. Click here to register online. With questions or to register by phone, please contact GBA's Courtenay Pope at 404.420.2015.

 

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BSA Training for Bank Employees Webinar - June 30

GBA will host the BSA Training for Bank Employees Webinar on June 30. This webinar provides an "ABC" approach to BSA training, and addresses the important elements of a BSA compliance program such as CTRs, SARs, CIP and OFAC. In addition, a 10-question BSA Quiz will be provided in the training material. Steve Moore from Compliance Training Services will lead this webinar. The registration fee is $149 per line and $99 for any additional lines. Click here to register online. With questions or to register by phone, please contact GBA's Courtenay Pope at 404.420.2015.

 

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Commercial Lending: How to Win More Deals Using Interest Rate Swaps - July 11

With the anticipated rise in interest rates this program provides a solid foundation to develop loan policies and procedures that competitively meet commercial borrower needs by using interest rate swaps to make competitively priced, long-term fixed-rate loans without assuming the interest rate risk. Using a live loan example, Chad McKeithen from FTN Financial will review loan hedging definitions, mechanics and procedures and all other information needed to implement a successful loan hedging program. Other agenda topics will include, hedging basics, executing swaps with commercial borrowers, fee income opportunities, proper accounting/documentation, and a regulatory update. The registration fee is $99 for the live session. Click here to register online. With questions or to register by phone, please contact GBA's Courtenay Pope at 404.420.2015.

 

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Webinars: Register for GBA Webinars Today

GBA will offer the following webinars in June. Click the links below for details and registration information. These webinars offer an effective, low-cost way to make the most of your training budget.

 

All webinars are live and allow time for questions and answers. The $255 registration fee gives you access to one web site "seat," one telephone site license and all handout materials. If you can't attend the webinar, you may buy the audio CD, handout materials and a password to see the information online. With questions, please call GBA's Courtenay Pope at 404.420.2015.

 

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Instructor Led AIB Classes: Upcoming Classes for June and July

Here are the instructor-led AIB online classes offered the months of June and July. These courses are instructor-facilitated with weekly assignments and can be taken from your home or your office. All you need is a computer, printer and Internet access. (Classes with an asterisk * require Microsoft Excel Software.) Courses are 16 weeks unless otherwise noted.

 



June
 

July
 

Please register two weeks in advance to secure a seat in the class. Please see the AIB Online Course Schedule for a complete listing or call GBA's Alison Moreau at 404.420.2034 with questions.

 

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Reg Z Spotlight: 12 New AIB Self-Paced Reg Z courses

ABA has added new Reg Z courses. Generally courses last 30-60 minutes, with some requiring more and some less time to complete. Here is a full list of the new offerings.

 

*Please note that Reg Z Overview is a required prerequisite for all other Reg Z compliance courses. With questions please call GBA's Alison Moreau at 404.420.2034.

 

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Upgrading Your Microsoft® Office Suite?

How will you train your staff on the new features and functionality of Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access? ABA eLearning offers self-paced online courses that address the Office 2010, 2007 and 2003 product suites. All conveniently accessible online, and at a reasonable price. 

 

  • Microsoft Office 2010

  • Access: Levels 1-3

  • Excel: Levels 1-3

  • Outlook: Levels 1-3

  • PowerPoint: Levels 1-2

  • Word: Levels 1-3

  • Microsoft Office 2007

  • Access: Levels 1-2

  • Excel: Levels 1-3

  • Outlook: Levels 1-3

  • PowerPoint: Levels 1-2

  • Word: Levels 1-3

  • Microsoft Office 2003

  • Access: Levels 1-4

  • Excel: Levels 1-2

  • Outlook: Levels 1-3

  • PowerPoint: Levels 1-2

  • Word: Levels 1-3

With questions please call GBA's Alison Moreau at 404.420.2034.

 

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Suggest a Course: Your Needs Drive GBA-U Offerings

We want to make sure we keep putting the "you" in GBA-U. If there's something we don't offer on our regular calendar, let us know what might be helpful. We'll see if we can build a special program based on your suggestion. Send our GBA-University staff an e-mail with your suggestion. Be sure to give us some idea about how you'd prefer to get the training such as an in-person seminar, webinar or other channel, and a reasonably convenient location suggestion for in-person course suggestions. Or you can fill out and fax back this form.

 

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Like it? Pass It On, or Recommend a Subscription

If you like GBA-U Edge be sure and forward it to others at your bank. And, if you think someone at your bank should get it, send us an e-mail with their name, title and e-mail address and we'll add them to our monthly distribution. There's no better way to share and enhance the value of GBA University as a resource for your bank's continued success.

 

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Georgia Bankers Association - 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1050, Atlanta, GA 30303 - Phone 404.522.1501 - Fax 404.522.9848 - www.gabankers.com