A regular electronic publication of the Georgia Bankers Association

www.gabankers.com

 October 3, 2003

About the GBA
Board of Directors
Bank/Thrift CEOs
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Associate Members
Strategic Partners & Products
Bank Counsel Section
Volunteer Committees
Electronic Publications

Third Annual Georgia BankPAC Golf Classic:
Still Time to Register!
There’s still time to register for Leadership GBA’s Third Annual Georgia BankPAC Classic.  This two-man scramble tournament will be held on Wednesday, October 15, at Big Canoe Golf Club in Big Canoe. This private 27-hole golf course was named one of the top 20 courses in Georgia. Registration for this event is $300 per two-person team or $150 per person and includes greens fees, cart, range balls, lunch and a reception. This event is a great opportunity to invite your legislators and directors to network with colleagues in the banking industry across the state.  Register now for a chance to win the prestigious Georgia BankPAC trophy!  If you have any questions, call GBA’s Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010. 

 

Group Meetings Conclude
Bankers in southeast Georgia gathered this week for the last two of GBA’s 10 Group Meetings held throughout September around the state.  Our thanks to Larry Paulk, Waycross Bank & Trust and to Gary Johnson, Sea Island Bank, Statesboro, for leading their two meetings.  “These 10 Group Meetings have given the GBA elected leadership and professional staff the opportunity to see over a thousand people and exchange ideas and suggestions.  You get a real appreciation for the diversity of our state and the commitment of our bankers to our industry when you see this kind of turnout and support,” said GBA Chairman Ed Milligan, Chairman and CEO of Main Street Banks, Inc., Atlanta.

FinCrime.com Live
We are pleased to announce that FinCrime.com is now available to each of our member banks and law enforcement as a complimentary new member service.  FinCrime.com provides a communication vehicle for financial institutions and law enforcement, functioning as a clearinghouse of information. Participants submit fraud data into a central, internet-based database.  The program immediately notifies the participating users via email and this early awareness allows you to take action to prevent fraud losses in your bank.  “We continue to hear from our members that fraud is on the increase.  The GBA Board responded by funding the purchase of this state-of-the-art software to help our members communicate with each other.  Through this effort, we hope to gain overall loss reduction for GBA members as professional criminals will find financial institution fraud more difficult, more risky and less profitable to pursue,” said GBA President, Joe Brannen.  To sign up, simply follow the easy online registration process. Once the identity of the banker is confirmed, access to the entire database will be given immediately. For more information, call GBA’s Renee Valdez at (404) 420-2036.

2003 State Legislative Issues
Governor Sonny Perdue
Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor
Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia State Senate
Federal Legislative Issues
U.S. Congress
Legislative Updates
Legal Issues

FCRA Out of Committee
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has reported the bill that would permanently extend the Fair Credit Reporting Act – and preempt states from enacting their own versions.  The full Senate is expected to take the bill up when they return from their break in mid-October.

OCC Upholds Relationship Banking
The relationship banking practices of national banks do not violate federal anti-tying laws, according to an OCC white paper entitled Today's Credit Markets, Relationship Banking, and Tying.  “There is virtually no empirical evidence directly focusing on the tying of lending and underwriting activities by national banks,” the legal analysis concluded.  “The indirect evidence available is consistent with permissible packaging of products by diversified banks, and product linkage at the behest of customers.” 

BankPAC Goals vs. Actual

GBA Hosts Committee
The House Banks and Banking Committee met recently in Savannah to discuss the ‘payday’ lending issue.  GBA helped host a dinner prior to the meeting.  Most of those testifying either took the position that payday lenders should be abolished or regulated.  GBA’s interest in the issue is two-fold:  1) if the industry is regulated and the regulatory scheme is put in the Banking Department, we want to make sure enough money is collected for the regulation, and 2) to protect against the bill extending to bank programs which provide overdraft privileges.

GBA BankPAC Update
Since our last report, the following companies, their officers and directors have participated by contributing to the GBA StatePAC:

In addition, officers and directors of McIntosh Commercial Bank, Bill Gafford, CEO, Carrollton, have contributed to the GBA FedPAC. Thanks to all for your support. If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Elizabeth Chandler at (404) 420-2027.

Calendar of Events
Schools
Conferences
Seminars
Events
American Institute of Banking
Leadership GBA
Personal Economics Program (PEP)
Internet Training

Marketing Conference Hotel Deadline Approaches
GBA’s dynamic Marketing Conference is planned for November 13-14 at Chateau Elan Resort in Braselton.  A block of rooms has been reserved and the October 13 deadline for reservations is fast approaching.  Please call the hotel directly at (678) 425-0900 for reservations. Please contact GBA’s Marybeth Jones at (404) 420-2032 for further details.

Congratulations to 2003 Executive Management Academy Graduates
Congratulations to the following bankers who have successfully completed the Executive Management Academy: Lauch McKinnon, President, Bank of Hiawassee; Allen Long, Vice President, Bank of Eastman; Palmer Proctor, Vice President, Fidelity Bank, Atlanta; and Bradley Serff, Executive Vice President, Exchange Bank, Milledgeville. The Academy is an excellent opportunity for senior management to gain important information in critical areas such as strategic planning, compliance management, asset/liability and credit risk management, and human resources management. The 2004 Executive Management Academy will begin in January and brochures will be available in October. If you have any questions about the school, please call GBA’s Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010.

Peanut Bank Week
Georgia Peanuts Add Interest to Your Meals is the theme for this year’s Peanut Bank Week, sponsored by the GBA’s Agriculture Committee, Chaired by Bill Twomey, Branch Manager at Cook Community Bank in Adel, and the Georgia Peanut Commission.  Georgia can be proud of its peanut production. There are twenty-five thousand people directly employed in the production of peanuts in Georgia and almost $230 million in gross receipts were paid to Georgia peanut producers this past year.  Banks have the opportunity of joining in the promotion and celebrating the success of Georgia’s peanut producers during the week of October 13-17.  To sign up, please contact Marcus Evans at the Georgia Peanut Commission at (229) 386-3999.

 Credit Conference Set for December 3-4
GBA’s Credit Conference, slated for December 3-4 at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, will highlight major topics of interest to bank lenders.  Economist Dr. Roger Tutterow of Kennesaw State University will deliver the keynote address with remarks on the state of the economy.  Other topics include appraisal training, residential construction underwriting, peer discussions, and an interview with regulators on compliance, safety and soundness.  Alex Sheshunoff, CEO of Alex Sheshunoff Management Services, L.P., will conclude the conference with a state of the banking industry address.  Thanks to 2003-2004 Credit Committee Chair Bill Stump, Executive Vice President at Community Bankshares, Inc., Cornelia, for his leadership and to the committee for their expertise in planning an informative and dynamic agenda.  For hotel reservations, call the Renaissance Waverly Hotel at (770) 953-4500 before November 3. For more conference details and to register, please contact GBA’s Marybeth Jones at (404) 420-2032.

Internet Training and Education
John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems, has said, “The next big killer application for the Internet is going to be education. Education over the Internet is going to be so big it will make E-mail usage look like a rounding error.” ABA eLearning is just the tool to help your employees get the training and education they need to stay competitive in today’s banking industry. A Compliance Suite has been added to the ABA eLearning series and courses include Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA); Bank Secrecy Act; Bank Protection Act; Bank Bribery Act; Community Reinvestment Act (CRA); Expedited Funds Availability Act (Reg CC); Electronic Funds Transfer Act (Reg E); Extending Credit To Bank Insiders (Reg O); Equal Credit Opportunity Act; Fair Credit Reporting Act; Fair Lending; Fair Housing Act; Flood Disaster Protection Act; FDIC Deposit Insurance; Home Mortgage Disclosure Act; Truth in Lending (Reg Z); Office of Foreign Asset Control Regulation (OFAC); Privacy for Customer Contact Personnel; Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act; Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Civil Relief Act; Truth in Savings Act (Reg DD); and USA Patriot Act. The courses range from 1 to 4 hours, are self-paced and a tutor is available to grade exercises and for questions. Special package pricing is available. With as few as 10 employees registered, all 22 courses only cost $54 per student, which is only $2.45 per course!  For details, to register or to schedule an on-site demonstration for your bank, call GBA’s Edie Canales at (404) 420-2034.

Insurance Trust, Inc.
Retirement Services, Inc.
GBA Services, Inc.
Online Expo

Welcome New Participant
The Board of Directors of the GBA Insurance Trust, Inc. welcomes to the Trust BankersForHire.com, Alpharetta, Randal Clark, CEO. The bank joins more than 290 community banks and associate members in this unmatched member benefit. Please call GBA’s Susan Kelley at (404) 420-2017 for more information.

For Sale
Available January 2004: Temporary Drive-Thru approximately 10' x 14'. $5,000 or best offer. Please direct questions to Dorsey Thompson, Vice President of Glennville Bank, at (912) 654-3471.

Some of the Services Available
Through GBA Services, Inc.

GBA Services, Inc. is governed by a board composed primarily of community bank presidents who look for the best products and services available.  They do the due diligence for you and you can rely on their efforts.  For more information on any of these services, please contact Renee Valdez at (404) 420-2036.

2003 GBA Salary Survey completed!
We appreciate everyone’s participation in this year’s survey.  The completed survey has been sent to those banks that participated in the compilation. We are excited about this year’s survey and feel certain the information collected will be a valuable resource for you throughout the next year.  If you were unable to participate but would still like to receive a copy, please call GBA’s Renee Valdez at (404) 420-2036.

Are You Taking Advantage of your GBA Member Benefits?
Get the Plans and HR Tools that Employment Regulators Demand

Affirmative Action Plans
Required for Banks with 50 or More Employees
Take advantage of the system ELC has developed to cost-effectively prepare and update bank affirmative action plans. They use bank-specific narrative language reflecting the significant changes to OFCCP regulations.  They also use automated statistical analysis to reduce the burden of data collection and increase regulator satisfaction.  You will receive Plans for Women and Minorities, Covered Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities, and the postings, notices, disclosures and forms necessary to implement the plan terms.

Bankers’ HR Toolkit™
The Toolkit™ provides all the essential human resources components a community bank needs.  You don’t have to think about what is required or whether you have it. It’s all here. With the Toolkit, you get what you need to: achieve effective selection of new employees; maintain appropriate policies; manage performance, record retention and compensation in a compliant manner; and more. When the materials need to be changed to be compliant with new regulations or best practices, we refine them for you. 

This is the banking specific program you have been looking for. You’re not just getting documents, you’re getting a complete program, and the reassurance that it has been put together by employment compliance professionals who are highly knowledgeable and experienced in banking.  The Toolkit™ is comprised of various sections.  Each section has all the guidelines, forms, checklists, templates and other tools you need, from drafting a new position description to negotiating a separation agreement. 

For more information please contact GBA’s Renee Valdez (404) 420-2036 or Employment Law Compliance’s Steve Greene (866) 801-6302.

Clayton, United Community Bank
Jeff Fulp has been elected President of the Rabun County office. Marla Mashburn and Brian Savage have been promoted to Senior Vice President; Sue Overholt to Vice President and Platform Manager; Lisa Butts to Banking Officer; and Shelly Backer to CEO Executive Assistant.

Fayetteville, Southern Community Bank
Jim Ward has joined the bank as Vice President, Commercial Lending and Jay Hurst as Assistant Vice President, Commercial Lending.

Griffin, First National Bank of Griffin
Charles B. Woodroof, III has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Business Development.  Also, our sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of longtime Chairman and current Chairman Emeritus, John T. Newton, Sr., who died recently.

Savannah, First Chatham Bank
Thomas Monty Lee, Jr. has been named Vice President.

Join Our Email Distribution List
A bonus of getting the e-Bulletin and e-Legislative Update is the number of links that are included. This is a great way to keep your key employees informed of significant industry information, trends and events. We do not disclose email addresses and only use them for internal communication purposes. Bankers from any member bank can be added to the email distribution list by sending an email containing the name and email address of each individual to GBA’s Lydia Thomas. 

For more information, send an e-mail to the Webmaster.

GBA Staff e-mail and direct phone numbers, snail mail addresses, fax and phone numbers