Legislative Update
Committee
Amends Debt Forgiveness Bill; Legislature to Adjourn Next
Week
The
House Banks and Banking Committee has reported out a
dramatically different version of a bill that, in the
original form, would have forgiven millions of dollars of
debt guarantees on loans ranging from busted real estate
projects to student loans. Also this week, the General
Assembly sent to the Governor a GBA priority bill that would
standardize vacant property and foreclosure ordinances.
Action was taken on a variety of other GBA-tracked
bills ranging from the Banking Department's Housekeeping
bills to a bill that would have required banks to use
attorneys in routine banking transactions. The Legislature
has three days left in the 2012 session and is set to
adjourn on Thursday, March 29.
See more about all the
goings on this week in the Georgia General Assembly…
Speaking
Out Against
Developer Bill
GBA
quickly countered an article in last week's Atlanta-Business
Chronicle claiming S.B. 448, which would limit
guarantors' debt obligations in certain circumstances, would
actually help Georgia's banks. The
paper published an online rebuttal by Joe Brannen, GBA president
and CEO, the same day.
Link to a
brief summary and a full copy of our response here...
Annual
Meeting Spotlight
Tradition Continues:
50-Year Bankers to be Recognized
GBA is
proud to recognize Georgia bankers who have devoted 50 years or
more of service to the banking industry. These bankers will be
honored at GBA's 2012
Annual Meeting scheduled for
June10-13 at The Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC. Please help us
properly recognize the bankers who have reached this important
milestone.
Learn more about that here...
Annual Meeting Breakout Session
Learn to Build an
Independent Value Equation for the Future
Elaine
Demarest, President, Demarest Strategy Group, Inc., Hilton
Head Island, SC, will hold a mini-planning session, at GBA's 2012 Annual
Meeting touching on thoughts for each of the CAMELS factors, how to seek
stronger regulatory standing and smart moves to work out of enforcement
orders and more. Elaine's session is one of many outstanding programming
highlights of GBA's 2012 Annual Meeting coming up June 10-13 at The
Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. You can also get detailed information
and register now by
clicking on the meeting website.
A complete convention package was mailed this week.
Learn more about
Elaine's session here...
FDIC Issues
Guidance about Copying, Removing Confidential Information
Directors
and officers were reminded this week by the FDIC that copying
and removing certain records from a bank in advance of
enforcement actions or litigation "is a breach of their
fiduciary duty to the institution and an unsafe and unsound
banking practice, which may also violate applicable laws and
regulations and contravene the financial institution's
information security program."
Read the full letter and get
more analysis from the Bryan Cave law firm here...
Social Security Going Paperless in Less Than a Year
The
countdown is on to March 1, 2013, when Social Security and other
U.S. Government payments will go paperless. It's been in the
news a bit lately as the U.S. Department of Treasury wants to
make sure people are ready for the change. You can help, too, by
participating in the Go Direct® Campaign.
Learn more about partnering with the Go Direct®
campaign and promoting direct deposit for federal benefits which
can help your financial institution...
Three Good News
Stories about Jobs and Business in Georgia
Georgia
has the highest growth in women-owned businesses, it has the
second best rate of startup company formation and statewide jobs
grew at a better rate in 2011 than first reported.
Get more
details about each story here...
Key GBA
Event Reminders
Southeastern
Community Bank Symposium March 28
Hear about bank director roles and
responsibilities
Click here for more information and to register
Bank Security Conference
Andrew Ekonomou discusses
the anatomy of a lawsuit.
Click here for more information and to register
Legal
Issues for New-Account Documentation and Compliance April 10
This seminar will teach new
account personnel proper account-opening procedures and current
compliance requirements.
Click here for more information and to register
Newsmakers
Washington – F & M Bank
Bart
Pennington has been named Assistant Vice President. James W.
Brantley has been named Senior Vice President. Debra M. Barnett,
has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Director.
Edward B. Pope, III, has been promoted to Executive Vice
President and Director. John M. Newberry and Casey M. Jackson
have been promoted to Senior Vice Presidents.
Send Us Your News
Please remember to include the Georgia
Bankers Association on the list of recipients for
announcements about promotions, new employees and special
recognition your bank has received. We want to share your
news with your colleagues across the state. Please forward
your announcements and photos to GBA's
David Oliver and Bogan Brannen.
