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March 31, 2006

Georgia Bankers Call on Congress
GBA Chairman Tom Wiley, CEO of Flag Bank in Atlanta, led a group of bankers to Washington, D.C. this week to participate in the annual American Bankers Association Spring Summit and to call on members of the Georgia delegation.  "While in Washington, we visited several members of Congress to remind them of our position against the credit union bill that would increase their commercial lending authority while reducing their capital requirements.  We also helped our elected officials understand the long standing legislative history which the Comptroller of the Currency has used to grant limited real estate development authority to national banks.  We were pleased with the response from our members of Congress, and look forward to returning with a larger group of Georgia bankers in May.  By then, we hope the Senate will have made progress on passing a regulatory burden relief bill," Tom said.

Legislature Adjourns
GBA’s e-Legislative Update this week is the wrap-up edition covering the bills that passed and those that were left behind as the 2006 Session of the General Assembly adjourned last night at midnight.  Click here for this week's edition of the e-Legislative Update.  Among the issues covered:

• Legislature Adjourns

• Eight Bills on GBA's Watch List Receive Final Passage

• ATM Bill Did Not Pass/Hearing Most Likely

• Banking Committee Chairs Play Pivotal Role

• Title Pawn Bill Not Enacted/GBA Opposes Expansion

Annual Convention Rooms Going Quickly
We have been able to secure a few more rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort for GBA’s 2006 Annual Convention that will be held on June 18-21 in Naples, Florida.  If you have not already done so, please make your reservations by calling the hotel directly at (800) 241-3333.  Be sure to let them know you are with the Georgia Bankers Association to receive the group rate.  With questions about the convention, please call GBA’s Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010.  Make your reservations today!

Are Your "Nerves of Steel"?
Our closing speaker at the Annual Convention is Dr. Kevin Elko and spouses and children of our convention delegates are invited to come hear this dynamic speaker.  How much time do you spend bettering your bank…hours and hours?   But how much time do you spend bettering yourself?  Join Dr. Elko as he teaches us how to be mentally tough when times call for it and how to stay focused on the things that are truly important. He will share life-improving strategies, motivation enhancements, and forgiveness strategies by explaining the step-by-step processes necessary to guide you through the journey we refer to as life.

Frontline Job-Specific Compliance Courses
To meet the growing demand for more frontline compliance training, we are pleased to announce that the American Institute of Banking has rolled out 31 new short, regulation-specific, job-specific compliance courses. All are self-paced, online eLearning courses. These courses can be completed in 15 to 30 minutes. These courses are for Call Center Representatives, Customer Service Representatives, Personal Bankers and Tellers. Topics range from Privacy, BSA, OFAC, and USA PATRIOT Act among many others. Each course has its own final assessment that focuses on the parts of the regulation that the specific job needs to understand. These courses are found under Short, Regulation-Specific, Job-Specific Compliance Courses in the eLearning section of our website. With questions, please call GBA’s Fran Williams at (404) 420-2015.

Register Today for AIB Online Courses
Just a reminder that the following AIB online classes begin on April 24.  Please register no later than two weeks ahead of time to secure a seat in the class.

• Managing the Bank’s Investment Portfolio, 6 weeks, $545

• Principles of Banking, 16 weeks, $375

• Retirement Plan Services – Laws & Regulations, 6 weeks, $795

• Supervisor Certificate, 16 weeks, $695

• Today's Teller: Developing Basic Skills (open enrollment), 8 weeks, $275

• ABA Online Review Course for the CTFA Exam (open enrollment), 12 weeks, $750

These courses are instructor-facilitated with weekly assignments.  They can be taken from the comfort of your home or the convenience of your office. All you need is a computer, printer and Internet access.  With questions, please call GBA’s Fran Williams at (404) 420-2015.

BSA Getting Tougher on Community Banks
We continue to hear from our community bank members that your number one compliance issue continues to revolve around the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA).  We have two new resources for you.  Click here to download an excellent article by Pat McElroy of Sheshunoff Management Services.  The article talks about the most common problems the banks they work with have encountered and contains a helpful checklist your bank may find helpful.  GBA is also hosting a day-long seminar in Macon April 20 entitled Bank Secrecy Act: A NEW ERA at the Holiday Hotel and Conference Center (formerly the Holiday Inn Macon Conference Center).  As both federal and state banking regulators have “stepped up” their efforts to examine and enforce compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act, including issuing Cease & Desist Orders for first-time “violators,” you know BSA compliance is much more than completing CTRs, SARs, and a $3,000 Log.  BSA compliance includes a risk assessment of the Bank’s customers to identify “high-risk” accounts as well as comprehensive internal audit and independent review procedures; many banks are struggling with the volume of all this work.  This seminar is designed to help; here are the highlights that will be covered: 

• New exam procedures for BSA + OFAC+ CIP + Suspicious Activity Reporting

• How to develop Risk Profile for your Bank

• How to perform customer due diligence and monitor “High-Risk” accounts

• Additional requirements for Money Services Businesses (“MSBs”)

BSA Officers, Compliance Officers, and Internal Auditors will all benefit from attending.  The registration fee for members is $195. To register, please complete the registration form or register online.

Last Call:  Bank Security Conference April 6-7
GBA's popular Bank Security Conference will be held April 6-7 at the Savannah Riverfront Marriott.  The topics for the conference presentations were specifically chosen by GBA-member security officers as those issues most relevant to their activities. As a result, the program represents current “hot topics” and the speakers selected are a team of high profile experts in each area.  A unique feature of this conference is the “Train the Trainer” approach. Each presentation will be available online on GBA’s website which will enable attendees to enhance their own training program back at the bank.  Thanks to Donna Lawrence, Committee Chair and Vice President of Habersham Bank in Cornelia, and the Security Committee for their expertise in planning this event.  Click here to see this year’s exciting agenda and register online.  For more information, please call GBA’s Marybeth Jones at (404) 420-2032.

Leadership Conference Plans Finalized
Leadership GBA will host the 46^th annual Leadership Conference at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate in Orlando, Florida on July 16-19.  In keeping with Leadership GBA’s theme, “Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today,” this year’s executive committee has planned a great program packed with an impressive group of speakers.  This year’s conference will feature excellent leadership training by the famous Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. Other topics include an economic update, financial literacy training and as always, a legislative update.  The event will also include several social and sporting activities to give you the opportunity to network with your colleagues.  With questions concerning the conference or Leadership GBA in general, please contact GBA’s Susie McGehee at (404) 420-2010 or Fran Williams at (404) 420-2015.

Rural Development and Lending Conference Scheduled
The Rural Development and Lending Conference is scheduled for May 25-26 at the King & Prince Beach and Golf Resort on St. Simons Island.  A block of rooms has been reserved until April 24 so call (912) 638-3631 as soon as possible to make your reservations.  Our thanks to Charles Curry, President and CEO of First State Bank of Randolph County in Cuthbert, for his leadership in chairing this years Agriculture Committee which is sponsoring this conference.  Click here to register online or with questions, please call GBA’s Marybeth Jones at (404) 420-2032.

Affinion Group: Customer Appreciation Program
Affinion Group Customer Appreciation Program, which is endorsed by the Georgia Bankers Association, offers banks $1,000 of complimentary accidental death and dismemberment insurance at no cost to the DDA, credit card and mortgage customers. Additionally, at the time of the offering, the customer has the option to purchase additional amounts of insurance at a low monthly charge. Currently over 4,600 financial institutions have decided to implement the Customer Appreciation Program. They range in size from small rural community banks to money center banks. There is no cost to the bank to offer the program. Not only does this program help increase profitability by increasing fee income, it also helps retain core accounts. For more information on Affinion Group’s proven Customer Appreciation Program, please contact Bill Lowe, Senior Account Executive, at (800) 251-2148, ext. 2562.

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 Kenyetta Parks at (404) 420-2035.

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 or to order any of these products or services, please call (404) 522-1501.

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