About the GBA
I Professional Development I
Government Relations I
Services
March 11, 2005
The
U.S. Senate has passed
S. 256, the first comprehensive
reform to the bankruptcy code in more than two decades. The debate
was often intense with dozens of amendments either considered or offered. The
bill creates a needs-based bankruptcy program that requires people of means to
repay their debts rather than avoid them through bankruptcy. Traditional
bankruptcy protection is still preserved for those who find themselves in
hopeless situations. Georgia Senators
Saxby Chambliss and
Johnny Isakson maintained a
perfect voting record in support of GBA’s position to oppose every amendment
except the ones that helped improve the bill. Please take a few minutes and
write both Senators and thank them for their support. Simply use their name
followed by U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510 as the address. The bill now
goes to the House and with the momentum behind it, we expect the House to take
up the bill in the next few weeks.Secretary Snow Addresses Bankers
Secretary of Commerce John Snow spoke to a group of bankers attending a meeting this week in Washington, D.C., about President Bush’s agenda. GBA Past Chairmen Jimmy Burnsed and Wes Smith, BankPAC Chairman George Butler, and GBA President Joe Brannen attended representing Georgia. Most of Secretary Snow’s comments were designed to generate support for the President’s social security reform initiatives. The banking industry has been generally supportive of the President’s program, especially the provision calling for personal savings accounts. In answer to a question about banks being able to offer customers those savings accounts much like banks today offer IRA’s, the Secretary said the Administration was open to hearing from the industry on how that might work. Bankers have told GBA they see these accounts as an opportunity to address the critical need for core deposits, especially in community banks. Secretary Snow also answered a question about the Administration’s support for the continued tax exemption for credit unions that no longer adhere to their original role and mission. While his carefully crafted answer could not be construed as a change in the Administration’s position, he said the tax exemption “would be put in jeopardy if [a] credit union is no longer faithful to that [original] charter." Secretary Snow also acknowledged the concerns bankers have raised with the inconsistent regulatory examination on Bank Secrecy and other anti-money laundering activities and pledged to continue working to help reduce that burden. While in Washington, the GBA representatives called on several members of the Georgia house delegation to discuss a number of hot button issues on the minds of Georgia bankers. They asked our Congressmen not to cosponsor legislation similar to the credit union bill last year which reduced the credit union’s capital requirements while increasing their commercial lending authority. The GBA representatives also asked our Congressmen to support bankruptcy reform and to listen to our concerns about being shut out of the real estate brokerage business.
e-Legislative Update
Read today's e-Legislative Update. Today's edition covers action on legislation this week dealing with:
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Today is "Crossover Day"
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Family Day Slated for Rare Saturday Session
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ChoicePoint Fallout Notification Bill Passes Senate
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Tax Amended at GBA's Request
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Mortgage Fraud Bill Awaiting Action by Rules Committee
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e-Mail Spam Bill Passes Senate
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Radical Change in Intangible Recording Tax Procedures On Hold
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Trust Flexible Income Bill in Senate Finance Committee
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Science and Technology Committee Reports More Notification Bills
We will be publishing these
e-Legislative Update throughout the General Assembly
session. As a subscriber to our e-Bulletin service, you are able to link directly to the
edition we've posted on our website. Click on the hyperlinks to the bill summaries managed on the
General Assembly's
website to ensure you are viewing the most up-to-date versions of the
legislation. Please give us any
feedback
on this member service.
Brian Wesbury
to Speak at Convention
Registrations are
coming in steadily for GBA’s
2005 Annual Convention.
Georgia bankers will convene on June 19-22 at
The Ritz-Carlton,
Bachelor Gulch in Vail,
CO. A great program has been planned that you won’t want to miss. No convention
would be complete, however, without an economic update. The economy is improving
but is undergoing an enormous change due to technology, causing an underlying
unease. Economist Brian Wesbury of
Griffin, Kubik, Stephens
& Thompson,
Inc., in Chicago will be on hand to discuss how we’ve shifted
toward a services-oriented information age and he will share his outlook on the
country’s future. Please call GBA’s
Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010
with questions.
HR
Institute a Success
Almost 60 human
resource professionals from around the state gathered this week on St. Simons
Island to spend three days discussing industry best practices in their field.
Top notch keynote speakers and peer group discussions were highlights of the
event. The
HR Professionals
Institute was created two years ago by GBA’s
Human Resources
Committee when they combined our annual Human Resources
Conference and our biannual Human Resource University into an annual event. For
those bankers seeking HR certification, the event was approved for 10.25 hours
of continuing education credit. Our thanks to Committee Chair, Martin
Dunlap,
Riverside Bank, Marietta, and
Committee Vice Chair, Sue Cone,
Pinnacle Bank, Elberton, and
the entire committee for their help in planning an outstanding and successful
event.
LGBA
Group Meetings Off To Good Start
Leadership GBA
Representatives from middle and south Georgia met the past two weeks for
Leadership GBA’s first annual Group Meetings. Our thanks to the
following Executive Committee members for their help in hosting these meetings:
Erik Bagwell,
The Bankers Bank,
Atlanta; William Bailey,
PlantersFIRST, Fitzgerald; Steve Culberson,
The Peoples Bank,
Eatonton; Barry Pollock,
United National Bank,
Cairo; Lisa Rowell,
SunTrust Bank, Douglas, and
Scott Swafford,
United Bank, Thomaston. The
Group Meetings will resume on March 16. Register
online
or call GBA’s
Fran Williams at (404) 420-2015
or
Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010
with questions.
Mortgage Fraud Investigation Seminar
The GBA and the
Georgia Association of Bank Security are
sponsoring a mortgage fraud seminar on March 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at
the SunTrust Tower in Atlanta. Mortgage fraud is growing rampant
nationwide, resulting in millions of dollars in losses to financial institutions
and leading consumers to fall victim to mortgage fraud activity. This
informational seminar will address how to organize a case and gather evidence to
obtain a successful prosecution. There is no fee for this seminar but
registration is mandatory. For more information or to register, please contact
GBA’s
Fran Williams at (404) 420-2015.
Security
Conference Hotel Block Extended
The block of
rooms held for the
Bank Security
Conference scheduled for April 7-8 at
Callaway has been extended to Friday, March 18th. If you
have not yet made your reservation, please call Callaway directly at
1-800-CALLAWAY to take advantage of our special rate. Register
online
or call
Marybeth Jones at (404)
420-2032 for more information.
GBA
Hosts “Rules for Advertising and Marketing Bank Products” Webinar
Did you know that
improper advertisement by your bank’s lending department can lead to violations
of the Truth in Lending Act and charges of discrimination and deceptive acts and
practices? To help you avoid penalties or enforcement orders, the GBA will host
a web-based seminar entitled “Rules for Advertising
and Marketing
Bank Products” on
Tuesday, April 19. Blair Rugh, Executive Director of
Kirchman Regulatory
Service, will explain the rules of the FDIC, the FTC, HUD, Truth
in Lending and Truth in Savings Acts as they apply to various advertising media,
including websites. Please see the enclosed registration form to register or
call GBA’s
Fran Williams at (404) 420-2015 with questions.
Training & Development Conference Slated
GBA’s
Training & Development
Conference is scheduled for April 21 at
Callaway Resort in Pine
Mountain. This new conference is designed to “train the trainer.” Helen
Johnson of
Columbus Bank
and Trust will present
“How Do I Get There From Here?” and look at career development strategies for
the 21st century in banking and beyond.
Michael Muetzel, highly
acclaimed author of “They’re Not Aloof… Just Generation X,” will enlighten you
on how to harness the talent and energy of younger workers and share insights on
how to address generational differences. Alison Moreau will
present
ABA’s Performance
Training Series and
eLearning courses as well as two mini-presentations of actual courses to
demonstrate how easy they are to use. Our thanks to Committee Chair Nancy
Wood of
Security Bank in Albany and the
Training & Development
Committee for such an informative conference. Register
online or call GBA’s
Edie Canales at (404) 420-2034
with questions.
Leadership Conference Scheduled
Plans are well
underway for
Leadership GBA’s 45th
Annual
Leadership Conference.
This year’s conference will be held on July 17-20 at the
Hilton Oceanfront
Resort on Hilton Head Island, SC. Attendees will receive
important information on the economy, participate in roundtable discussions and
obtain excellent leadership training. Registration materials will be mailed in
April. Please call GBA’s
Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010
or
Fran Williams at (404) 420-2015
with questions.
Status of Important Banking Cases
From this issue
forward, members of the
Bank Counsel
Section will find the “Status of Important Banking Cases”
on our website. This publication is made
available monthly to members of the Section as an enhanced value to your
membership. Our thanks to the American Bankers Association's Office of General
Counsel for providing this resource. If your bank’s counsel is not yet a member, check out all the
benefits of joining on the
Bank Counsel Section page. Please call GBA’s
Renee Valdez at (404) 420-2036
for more information.
Briefing: New Business Loan Program
FTRANS and
GBA would like to invite member banks to a briefing Friday, March 18th
at 10 a.m. in Columbus outlining
Positive Cash
Plus™ followed by a luncheon with local area business
owners. FTRANS has pioneered a new commercial loan program, recently introduced
at GBA’s Credit Conference, for small and medium size businesses allowing banks
to make revolving loans to small businesses in Georgia based on the operating
assets of the business. Please RSVP to GBA’s
Renee Valdez at (404) 420-2036.
Welcome New Participant
The
GBA Insurance Trust, Inc.
Board of Directors welcomes to the Trust Community
Bank of Rockmart, Larry Collier, CEO. This
company joins more than 290 community banks and associate members in this
unmatched member benefit. Please call
Susan Kelley at (404) 420-2017 for details.
Did you
know…..
GBA offers the following products?
2005 Holiday Decals
Holiday Decals
are made available through the GBA. These window decals not only provide a
professional appearance, but also contain the 10 holiday close dates recognized
by the Federal Reserve Bank, in accordance the FDIC rules.
2002, 2003 & 2004 Georgia Banking Laws and Commercial Code Book and Supplements
(CD-ROM included)
All changes of the
Uniform Commercial Code or the Rules of the Department of Banking and Finance
during the 2004 session are included.
2004 Salary Survey
The Salary Survey
includes salary and benefit data for over 100 Banking positions, with data being
reported by approximately 100 financial institutions.
Thumbprint Signature Program
The GBA-sponsored
Thumbprint Program has been found to significantly reduce check fraud.
Nationally this program is responsible for an 82% reduction in check fraud.
FinCrime.com
FinCrime.com is a database and clearing house that facilitates the immediate
sharing of information via email about fraudulent activity between financial
institutions and law enforcement. This is a free service available to GBA
members and Georgia law enforcement.
Georgia Financial Directory
The Bank Directory contains complete information on all the banks in the
state and is invaluable to banking professionals. Also are included are a
listing of Associate Member Companies and the GBA’s own Strategic Partners to
assist our members in locating companies who provide useful products for their
banks.
For more information or to order any of the products listed above, please
contact GBA’s
Kenyetta Parks at (404) 420-2035 or
Renee Valdez at (404) 420-2036.
GBA Job Bank
The Georgia Bankers Association offers free job posting resources
for our member banks. These listings can be viewed
online or
through our bi-weekly publication included in the GBA Bulletin.
Resume postings are also available. For more information please
contact GBA’s
Renee Valdez
(404) 420-2036 or
Kenyetta
Parks (404) 420-2035.
Newsmakers:
Atlanta
-
Flag
Bank
The bank
announces the following additions and promotions: Michael J. Phillips has joined
the bank as Chief Information Officer; Larry Pitchford as Senior Vice President,
Human Resources; Lori Fairfield as Vice President, Accounting and Finance.
Carol
D. Arflin has been named Regional President, Central Georgia; E. Max Crook,
President of the newly-formed Community Banking Division; David M. Speight,
Controller; and J. Gregory Barineau and Daniel R. Minick to Senior Vice
Presidents.
Atlanta -
GBA
Insurance
Trust
Our deepest sympathies to our colleague Susan Kelley and her family on
the recent death of her mother following an extended illness.
Augusta -
First Bank
Jerry Dunn has been elected Information Technology Officer.
Forsyth -
Regions Bank
Karen Evans has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Area Sales
Manager 75 North Group; Grant Schmeelk to Vice President, Commercial Real
Estate; and Matthew Wilson, Business Manager, Johns Creek Market.
Gainesville
-
Gainesville Bank & Trust
Daniel Osborne has joined the bank as Senior Vice President and
Retail Banking Manager and Paul Ballew as First Vice President and Information
Technology Director.
Glennville
-
Glennville Bank
Congratulations to Tracy Durrence, CEO, directors and staff on the
grand opening of their new main office and for celebrating 100 Years of Service.
Mableton -
Georgia State Bank
Ford Thigpen has been named Chief Executive Officer. Ken Thigpen
continues as Chairman of the Board.
Savannah -
The Savannah Bancorp, Inc.
Mike Harden has joined the company as Vice President of Accounting.
Smyrna -
Community Bank of the South
Betsy Madrerohon has joined the bank as Commercial Lending Officer.
Villa Rica
-
Community Bank of West Georgia
Shirley Menne has joined the bank as Senior Vice President,
Construction and Mortgage Lending and Brenda L. Dangle as Assistant Vice
President, Commercial Lending.