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Notice of Georgia Bankers Association Annual Meeting
As stated in GBA’s bylaws, the annual meeting is held at a time and place set by the GBA Board of Directors. Consistent with past tradition, this year’s annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the 2011 Annual Convention. The meeting will begin at 12:00 noon, June 20, 2011, in the Astor Ballroom of the St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta. At this meeting, the statewide officers of the association will be elected and awards will be presented to bankers who have served the industry for 50 years. The slate of officers are: Chairman-elect, Jim Edwards, United Bank, Griffin and Vice Chairman, Stan Kryder, Midtown Bank & Trust, Atlanta. Chairman Rick Whaley, Citizens Bank of Americus will automatically serve a full year term beginning July 1, while Ray Chitty, Guardian Bank, Valdosta will enter his third and final year as GBA Secretary/Treasurer. Each GBA member is entitled to cast one vote at this meeting. Click here to register for the 2011 Annual Convention, or contact Joe Brannen at 404.420.2026 with questions about attending just the annual meeting.
New Notification Requirement about Interest on Demand Deposit Accounts The FDIC this week sent out a financial institution letter reminding all banks that if they modify the terms of a demand deposit account on or after July 21 so that the account may pay interest as allowed by the Dodd-Frank Act's repeal of Regulation Q, the bank must notify affected customers that the account no longer will be eligible for unlimited deposit insurance coverage as a noninterest-bearing transaction account. Read more about that here...
Learn more about the Reg. Q changes at the Regulation Q Repeal Webinar June 1. Click here for details about that event and to register online.
Quarterly Georgia Bank Performance: Improving Trends Continue Georgia's banks as a whole reported improved earnings and performance measures during the first quarter of 2011, according to the FDIC this week. The quarterly banking summary for the state includes a 76 percent improvement in net income over the same quarter in 2010, a higher overall percentage of profitable institutions, strong deposit growth, and continued asset-quality improvement. "Two words sum up the statewide banking results for first quarter 2011: much improved," said Joe Brannen, GBA president and CEO. "More than 3 of every 5 Georgia banks were profitable in the quarter. Just about all significant performance measures improved compared to the same period last year and from the previous quarter. A majority of the state's banks are stable and poised to return to positive earnings as the economy improves further." To show long-term trends, the information in the chart below is a cumulative, year-to-date summary through the end of each quarterly reporting period for the past year, and the national numbers are year-to-year comparisons.
At the national level, industry earnings improved for the seventh consecutive quarter, according to the FDIC's Quarterly Banking Profile. The industry reported an aggregate profit of $29 billion in the first quarter of 2011, an $11.6 billion improvement from the $17.4 billion in net income the industry reported in the first quarter of 2010. The Deposit Insurance Fund balance - the net worth of the fund - improved from negative $7.4 billion to negative $1.0 billion during the first quarter. The contingent loss reserve, which covers the cost of expected failures, fell from $17.7 billion at year-end 2010 to $13.8 billion at March 31, the lowest reserve since the third quarter of 2008. The DIF's liquid resources - cash and marketable securities - remained strong at $45.5 billion at the end of the first quarter, about the same as the year-end 2010 level. With questions, contact David Oliver, 404.420.2036, or Joe Brannen, 404.420.2026.
2011 Annual Convention Update: Rooms at the St. Regis Are Sold Out But We've Still Got Lodging Deals! We expected a great crowd to attend the 2011 Annual Convention and we sure have that--rooms at the St. Regis, Atlanta have sold out. But we've got some good, nearby hotel options. GBA has secured a block of rooms at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead at a reduced rate of $219 per night. You can make reservations by calling the hotel directly at 404.237.1234. We have also secured additional rooms at the Embassy Suites in Buckhead at a reduced rate of $139 per night. To make your reservations, please call the hotel directly at 404.261.7733. Be sure to let both hotels know you are with the Georgia Bankers Association to receive these rates. The 2011 Annual Convention is scheduled for June 20-21 at The St. Regis, Atlanta. With questions about the hotel or Convention in general, please contact GBA’s Susie McGehee at 404.420.2010.
FDIC Atlanta Region to Host Regulatory Conference Call
OCC Issues Proposed Rules Related to OTS Merger
Community Bankers Committee Plans Conference Agenda
GBA's Bank Trainers Peer Group Draws Good Crowd and Provides Great Training for Our Pros
Mortgage Fraud Continues to Decline in Georgia According to the May 2011 LexisNexis Mortgage Asset Research Institute report; Georgia is no longer ranked in the top ten for mortgage fraud and has a Mortgage Fraud Index (MFI) of 66 which is well below the MFI industry baseline of 100 for the first time in over a decade. Georgia led the nation in mortgage fraud in 2003 with an MFI of 506 at which point, the DBF instituted a risk-based examination program. “We are extremely pleased to receive such positive news,” stated Department of Banking and Finance (DBF) Commissioner Rob Braswell. Read the full release from the GA DBF…
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 accounts such as checking accounts. How will banks fund the additional interest expense? The potentially unexamined surge of deposits will impact community banks in many areas such as:
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, please contact GBA’s Courtenay Pope at 404.420.2015.
Call Reporting Seminar - June 2 This one-day seminar will be presented by Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC, Atlanta, and is scheduled for June 8 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.
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 phone 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.
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.
Take a Moment to Suggest a GBA-U Seminar: Call Reporting, Bankruptcy, IRAs Coming Up We want to make sure we keep putting the "you" in GBA-U. If you have an idea for in-person seminar, it's likely GBA can design something based on your suggestion. Send our GBA-University staff an e-mail with your ideas. Be sure to tell us how you'd prefer to get the training such as through a keynote speaker, panel discussion, or group breakout sessions and a reasonably convenient location suggestion. Or, you can fill out and fax back this form to 404.524.8680.
There's plenty of good programming on the agenda, already, though. GBA-U will soon host the following in-person seminars. Be sure and check back for additional in-person seminars added to the Calendar. For more details and registration information about any of the seminars you're interested in, check the Calendar of Events online at www.gabankers.com
With questions or details, please call GBA's Courtenay Pope at 404.420.2015.
Webinars: ALLL, Reg Q Repeal, and Financial Planning Among Highlighted Offering A GBA Webinar is a great way to quickly get the training you need right from the comfort of your office. Here’s a sample of upcoming offerings. Check the Calendar of Events for any webinars you're interested in at www.gabankers.com.
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.
Instructor Led AIB Classes: Upcoming Classes for June Here are the instructor-led AIB online classes offered the month of June. 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.) 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.
Participate in the Annual GBA Salary Survey to Gauge Proper Compensation Amounts, Policies It is time again for the annual Georgia Bankers Association Salary Survey, and we need your help to ensure maximum benefit to all participants. We encourage every GBA member bank to participate so we can ensure a broad-based representation of the banking industry in Georgia. The more members that participate, the better data you and other banks have to help structure your compensation programs in the most competitive, cost efficient and effective ways to attract and retain top bankers. Participation in the GBA Compensation and Benefits Survey provides access to the richest market compensation database available for Georgia banks and allows you to control expenses, protect key employees and compare your compensation strategy against your primary peers and competitors. Data analysis is available by asset size and geographic region or by request by custom groups or county clusters most relevant to your bank’s market and strategy. If you participated in the survey last year, you will find participating this year even faster and easier. Choose to “Register as a Participant From Last Year,” to pre-fill your last year’s Benefits information. You can participate in the Benefits or "Non-Salary" portion and “Salary” portion sections of the survey online by clicking here. The deadline for submitting the information is July 1, 2011.Please contact GBA’s Kenyetta Parks at 404.420.2035, to request hard-copy survey or with any questions.
ABA’s Lights, Camera, Save! Looking for GBA Participants and Sponsors
And hey GBA Associate Members and Strategic Partners, can you help fund this year's Lights, Camera, Save! video contest? The foundation is seeking a few, good sponsors for Lights, Camera, Save! 2011. Sponsors will reach more than 15,000 bankers through recognition in the Spirit of Banking publication and during the Lights, Camera, Save! training webinars. Sponsor's logos will also be posted on the Teach Children to Save web site and the Teach Children to Save You Tube channel. Please contact the ABA’s Laura Fisher if you'd like to be a sponsor or know a vendor that might be interested.
Greater ATM Access for Your Bank and Customers Georgia Bankers Association member banks have the opportunity to increase customer loyalty and attract new business with greater ATM convenience. Formed in 1997 and a Strategic Partner of the GBA, InterCept Switch was designed to level the playing field for customers of smaller financial institutions with those of larger banks that may have larger ATM networks. InterCept Switch offers a surcharge-free ATM network that allows community financial institutions to waive surcharges for member customers while retaining the ability to surcharge non-member customers. InterCept Switch is a powerful marketing tool for institutions that join the network. For more information, please contact InterCept Switch's Steven Roberts at 770.248.9600, or GBA's Bogan Brannen at 404.420.2014.
Trust & Investment Management Services for Your Bank's Valued Customers
Reliance
Trust Company,
headquartered in Atlanta
is one of the largest independent trust companies in the country
with more than $81 billion in assets under management and
administration and a leading provider of personalized financial
services for individual, corporate, and institutional clients.
Reliance can add fee-based revenues through financial
For more information, contact Reliance's Mark Teichner at 404.965.7239 or GBA's Bogan Brannen 404.420.2014.
Find a Job, Post a Job with 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 call Kenyetta Parks at 404.420.2035.
Read All About It:
Send Us Your News
Albany - Flint Community Bank Our sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of bank board member, Wendi Martin who recently passed away.
Atlanta – State Bank and Trust Company Dan Duchnowski has joined the bank as Vice President and Client Care Senior Officer.
Atlanta - SunTrust Banks Inc. Eric Brewer has joined the company as Executive Vice President and head of treasury and payment solutions.
Augusta - Georgia Bank & Trust Monique Bowen has joined the bank as the Office Manager at the Fury’s Ferry office.
Columbus - Synovus Financial Corp. Catherine Cantey, David Ascher, Randall Lunsford and Kevin Gibson were appointed to the company’s expanded treasury management group. Kenneth Richey will direct the team.
Pelham - Pelham Banking Company Congratulations to our first Georgia-based ABA Bank of the Week, Pelham Banking Company, Suzanne Anderson, President & CEO (and a GBA Board member). In an effort to help combat area high school drop-out rates, the board of directors late last year pledged to award $100 to each student that graduates after four years at Pelham High School. At the time, there were approximately 130 students expected to enroll in the high school, making the bank’s commitment around $13,000. The bank kicked off the 2010-2011 school year with a pizza party, sending personal invitations to each child and bank employees have since “adopted” students, regularly sending hand-written notes encouraging them in their studies, and visiting the school to speak with them on a regular basis. “Our hope and prayer is for 100 percent completion and that every penny is awarded,” said Pelham Banking Company Assistant Vice President. Lorenda Smith.
Ringgold – Northwest Georgia Bank The Northwest Georgia Bank Navigators recently raised almost $1,100 at the fourth annual Best Foot Forward fundraiser that will be used to buy shoes, shorts and shirts for Boynton Elementary School Special Olympians.
Thomasville – Farmers & Merchants Bank Ian Donkin has joined the bank as Senior Vice President and CFO, BSA Officer/Operations Compliance Officer.
Waycross - Atlantic Coast Federal Corp. G. Thomas Frankland will permanently assume the role of President and CEO of the company. Frankland was in interim terms of those offices since October 2010.
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If
your bank has recently had a compliance exam, you know the
scrutiny you’re under to not just comply, but to have your
documentation match your hard work. We encourage our member
banks to participate in a conference call being hosted by the
Atlanta FDIC office entitled 
The Dodd-Frank
Act-mandated merger of the OCC and OTS is scheduled for July 21.
In preparation, the OCC this week issued proposed rulemaking
dealing with several administrative issues, as well as a single
system for thrift and national bank assessment
GBA's
Community Bankers Committee met this week in Atlanta to discuss
key issues and plan the 2011 President/CEO Conference. The
conference agenda is taking shape with a focus on specific
information and insight about ongoing community bank viability,
innovation and recovery, capital planning and growth strategies,
a regulator panel and an economic overview. Stay tuned for full
details as we lock in speakers and panelists. The 2011 GBA President and CEO Conference is
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. 
Registration
for the ABA’s Lights, Camera, Save! video contest opens today.
This year's contest will incorporate a few changes suggested by
2010 participants, including no limits on number of students in
a video and an option to submit videos via YouTube. Training
webinars will be held on July 14 and 19. While banks can begin
marketing this summer, the contest period when students can
submit videos will be from Oct. 1 – Nov. 1. 
